Judge Denies Farming Company’s Anti-SLAPP Motion To Strike Suit Over ESG Claims

(June 14, 2023, 8:45 AM EDT) -- SAN DIEGO — A California federal judge denied a farming company’s motion to strike a putative class action accusing it of violating California’s unfair competition law (UCL) and other laws under California’s anti-Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP) statute based on claims about its agricultural practices made in an environmental, social and governance (ESG) report, finding that the ESG claims comprise commercial speech not protected by the anti-SLAPP law....