Listen for yourself to the oral arguments in the most recent Ted Rall v. Los Angeles Times anti-SLAPP hearing. I’m defending myself against Dr. Pat Soon-Shiong and the LA Times’ defamation as a favor to the LAPD.
Rall v. LA Times: Read the Complete Transcript of Ted Rall Arguing Pro Se vs. the LA Times’ Top Litigator
•
As promised, I am making available here the complete hearing transcript of the July 14th hearing in which I was forced to represent myself pro se because the LA Times refused to give my new lawyer a continuance/delay so he could familiarize myself with my case.
Quick recap: I was the LA Times’ editorial cartoonist from 2009 to 2015. I drew lots of comics criticizing the police and LAPD Chief Charlie Beck. Having had enough of me and my cartoons, Beck asked the new publisher, a political ally, to fire me. The Times complied. They used a mostly-blank audio recording to say it didn’t back up one of my blogs, and published two articles characterizing me as a liar. A cleaned-up version of the audio showed I’d told the truth. The Times refused to retract or hire me back, so I sued.
The July 14th hearing was for a pair of anti-SLAPP motions filed by the Times in an attempt to get my case dismissed as frivolous and force me to pay their attorney’s fees. I was between lawyers — my previous firm had dumped me and my new ones were just coming on board — but Times litigator Kelli Sager refused a delay. So I did the oral arguments myself.
I was terrified. Read on:
Ted Rall v. Los Angeles Times (anti-SLAPP hearing), 7/14/17 by Ted Rall on Scribd
There were three anti-SLAPP motions in all. On June 21st my esrtwhile lawyer borked oral arguments on the individual defendants so badly the judge ruled against me from the bench right there and then. July 14th was the main event: motion #2 for the LA Times/Tronc and motion #3 for Tribune Media.
At this writing the court has not issued its ruling on #2 or #3.
What do you think?
How would you rule if you were the judge?
PRESS RELEASE: Political Cartoonist Ted Rall, Fired by L.A. Times as Favor to LAPD Chief Charlie Beck, Will Personally Defend Himself from Times’ Attempt To Bankrupt Him in L.A. Superior Court on Friday
•
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
POLITICAL CARTOONIST TED RALL, FIRED BY L.A. TIMES AS FAVOR TO LAPD CHIEF CHARLIE BECK, WILL PERSONALLY DEFEND HIMSELF FROM TIMES’ ATTEMPT TO BANKRUPT HIM IN L.A. SUPERIOR COURT ON FRIDAY
Award-winning nationally-syndicated editorial cartoonist Ted Rall, a Pulitzer Prize finalist, will personally defend himself against his former employer the Los Angeles Times this coming Friday, July 14th at Los Angeles Superior Court at 111 N. Hill. St., Los Angeles. The hearing will occur in Department 74 at 9 am before Judge Joseph Kalin, and is open to the general public.
Rall is suing the Times for defamation, wrongful termination and other charges related to his 2015 firing and publication of two articles which accuse him of lying in a blog post in which he criticized the LAPD for a jaywalking crackdown that unfairly targeted working people and people of color. In his blog, Rall described being roughhoused and handcuffed by a LAPD officer who falsely arrested him for jaywalking in 2001, drawing an angry crowd on Melrose Boulevard. After Rall sued, the Times said that LAPD Police Chief Charlie Beck gave a copy of an audio recording that purportedly showed there was no angry crowd and that Rall had never been handcuffed to ex-Times publisher Austin Beutner. But, when Rall had the noisy static-filled tape enhanced for clarity, it showed the angry crowd and evidence he had been handcuffed. Despite being presented with evidence that vindicated Rall’s account, Times executives refused to reconsider their decision.
Rall has drawn many cartoons critical of the LAPD and several mocking Beck.
At the time, Beutner and Beck were political allies. Beutner had recently received the “Badge and Eagle Award” from the LAPPL police union for supporting the LAPD “in all that they do.” The LAPPL owned tens of millions of dollars of stock in Tribune Publishing (now Tronc), the Times’ corporate parent. The Times fired Beutner shortly after firing Rall.
Rall is the aggrieved party. His First Amendment rights were crushed by Times-LAPD collusion. His firing sent a chilling message to journalists in Southern California about criticizing the police.
High-powered Times lawyer Kelli Sager, a senior partner at a major white-shoe law firm, has filed three anti-SLAPP motions against Rall. California’s legislature passed the anti-SLAPP law to protect individuals like Rall from being harassed by litigation filed by deep-pocked corporations like Tribune Publishing. Here, the Times (part of a $415 million national media conglomerate) is abusing and perverting the anti-SLAPP statute in order to try to bankrupt Rall, a cartoonist whom the Times paid $300 per week. If the Times wins, the Court will order Rall to pay the Times’ legal fees.
This Friday morning, Rall will defend himself against Kelli Sager pro se. This is because Rall’s attorneys, Shegerian & Associates, have abandoned him at this key conjuncture in the case.
Note: If Rall is granted a continuance — normally a common courtesy — to allow himself to secure new lawyers and allow them to familiarize themselves with his case, he will not be required to argue his case Friday.
Rall will be available to answer questions and welcomes supporters and interested parties to witness the hearing.
-30-
