What happened
The California Court of Appeals upheld a lower court’s dismissal of a lawsuit filed by former Premise Data CEO Maury Blackman against journalist Jack Poulson, Substack, and AWS. The court ruled the suit was meritless under California’s anti‑SLAPP statute and protected the journalist’s publication under the First Amendment and the state Shield Law. The decision also confirmed immunity for the hosting platforms under Section 230.
Why it matters for trust and compliance
- Its status is decided. The case has an outcome that others may cite.
- The ruling reinforces anti‑SLAPP protections and platform immunity, safeguarding free‑speech reporting of personal arrest records.
Who is affected
media platform Maury Blackman Jack Poulson All Source Intelligence Substack Amazon Web Services
Recommended actions
- Check that privacy notices describe the practices this addresses.