San Diegans etc. v. Har Construction

In this case, San Diegans for Open Government (SanDOG) filed a Government Code section 1090 taxpayers' action on behalf of the Sweetwater Union High School District seeking to recover contract payments made to three building contractors, including appellant Har Construction, Inc. SanDOG alleged the District superintendent and several District board members were "financially interested" in the public works contracts and thus the contracts were void. About 16 months after SanDOG filed its first amended complaint, Har Construction moved to dismiss the complaint under the anti-SLAPP statute. The court denied the motion because it found SanDOG met its burden to show a probability of prevailing. Har Construction appealed the anti-SLAPP denial order. The Court of Appeal affirmed, but on different grounds. The Court determined Har Construction's motion was untimely and the anti-SLAPP statute was inapplicable because SanDOG's claims fell within the statute's public interest exemption. The Court did not reach the issue whether SanDOG's claims arose out of protected activity and, if so, whether SanDOG met its burden to show a probability of prevailing. View "San Diegans etc. v. Har Construction" on Justia Law