We are pleased to announce our recent court win in San Francisco Superior Court with co-counsel Ethan Jacobs regarding a subpoena directed to Reddit for the purpose of unmasking our client, John Doe.

Doe moderates a Reddit forum critical of Sword and Scale, a popular true crime podcast, and of its creator, Mike Boudet. Mr. Boudet brought a Florida defamation lawsuit against Doe and domesticated a subpoena on Reddit in California to try to force it to disclose Doe’s identity.

We petitioned to quash the subpoena and sought attorneys’ fees under California Code of Civil Procedure § 1987.2(c). Applying Krinsky v. Doe 6 (2008) 159 Cal.App.4th 1154, the Court agreed that Doe’s statements on the Reddit forum were protected opinion. We are thrilled that the Court upheld our client’s First Amendment right to speak critically and anonymously online.

Ethan and I will be donating a portion of the recovered fees to Florida Access Network, a nonprofit organization and abortion fund that advocates for reproductive justice and provides practical support for abortion care.

The order granting the petition to quash can be found here: Doe v Boudet Order Granting Petition to Quash