This is an interesting opinion on several levels.
First, the (alleged) facts are fairly striking. Brandon M. attacks his mother with a pair of scissors and is admitted to the Riverside County Regional
Medical Center on a 72-hour involuntary hold. But the hospital purportedly released him before the 72 hours has expired; allegedly, "[leaving] Brandon in a waiting
room and discharg[ing] him for lack of space before the expiration of the 72-hour period,
then provid[ig] him a bus pass to return home" having never even assigned him a room.
Which is no problem if Brandon's not a danger to himself or others. (Though he has just attacked his mother with scissors, so we might want to be a bit cautious here.) But what does Brandon do once he gets home from the hospital? He promptly uses a baseball bat at the home to bludgeon three people there to death. Including, ironically, a technician who was installing an alarm system in the home, presumably to protect the family from . . . Brandon. Not good. (Some of the briefs in the dispute are redacted and nonpublic, but for more information about the underlying offense, including some facts not discussed in the opinion, check this out.)
The County files an anti-SLAPP motion, which successfully delays the lawsuit for some time. But the trial court correctly denies it and the Court of Appeal affirms.
Beyond the facts of the case, the other interesting component of the opinion is the legal analysis. Justice Huffman authors an 18-page disposition. But the legal analysis of the actual holding of the thing is only two pages long, finding (appropriately) that the lawsuit didn't "arise out of" protected speech -- and instead arose out of conduct -- so the anti-SLAPP statute didn't apply. The majority of the opinion, both before and after that holding, addresses other grounds for denying the motion, and simply serves to "express doubt" as to various County defenses.
That's a fairly long time to talk about issues that you're not actually deciding. Maybe helpful to other (and/or lower) courts in the future, or on remand. But classic dicta.
Expressed at length.
