SAN FRANCISCO (CN) - A disbarred intellectual property lawyer's defamation suit against the State Bar of California was struck down by the First Appellate District under the anti-SLAPP statute.
A federal judge in 2012 declared Patrick Missud a vexatious litigant after he filed at least eight lawsuits arising from his 2004 purchase of a home in Nevada, according to the First Appellate District's unpublished March 30 opinion.
The State Bar Court of California found in 2013 that Missud "relentlessly pursued baseless litigation in California and Nevada; repeatedly used the media and websites to make false statements and baseless accusations against defendants in lawsuits; communicated with defendants he knew were represented by counsel; and violated court orders."
The court also found that Missud's misconduct was "willfull, egregious and ongoing" and recommended that he be disbarred.
Missud sued the Bar in August 2013, claiming it had defamed him by publishing the disbarment recommendation on its website.
He sought $192 million in damages and equitable relief, including dissolution of the California State Bar.
The appellate court found that Missud failed to demonstrate his complaint's legal sufficiency and his probability of prevailing on his claims, which are required by the anti-SLAPP statute.
Missud could not be reached for comment Thursday.
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