JOHN DOE (MAURY BLACKMAN) VS. SUBSTACK, INC., A DELAWARE CORPORATION ET AL

SF Superior Court - Law & Motion / Discovery Dept 301 - CGC24618681 - July 29, 2025 Hearing date: July 29, 2025 Case number: CGC24618681 Case title: JOHN DOE (MAURY BLACKMAN) VS. SUBSTACK, INC., A DELAWARE CORPORATION ET AL Case Number: | | CGC24618681 | Case Title: | | JOHN DOE (MAURY BLACKMAN) VS. SUBSTACK, INC., A DELAWARE CORPORATION ET AL | Court Date: | | 2025-07-29 09:00 AM | Calendar Matter: | | Notice Of Motion And Motion To Recover Fees And Costs | Rulings: | | Matter on the Law & Motion/Discovery Calendar for Tuesday, July 29, 2025, line 9, DEFENDANT SUBSTACK, INC., JACK POULSON, TECH INQUIRY, INC.'S Motion To Recover Fees And Costs

Defendants' motion for attorneys' fees incurred in connection with their anti-SLAPP motion is granted in part. For the reasons stated below, Substack is awarded $211,102.50 in fees and $14,706.60 in costs. Poulson is awarded $145,362.42 in fees. Tech Inquiry is awarded $40,280 in fees.

*THE COURT'S FULL AND COMPLETE TENTATIVE RULING HAS BEEN EMAILED TO COUNSEL*

For the 9:00 a.m. calendar, all attorneys and parties may appear in Department 301 remotely or in person. Remote hearings will be conducted by videoconference using Zoom. (Dept. 301 Zoom ID 161 502 4290; Passcode 700956.) To appear remotely at the hearing, go to the court's website at sfsuperiorcourt.org under "Online Services," navigate to "Tentative Rulings," and click on the appropriate link, or dial the corresponding phone number.

Any party who contests a tentative ruling must send an email to contestdept301tr@sftc.org with a copy to all other parties by 4pm stating, without argument, the portion(s) of the tentative ruling that the party contests. The subject line of the email shall include the line number, case name and case number. The text of the email shall include the name and contact information, including email address, of the attorney or party who will appear at the hearing.

Counsel for the moving defendants are required to prepare a proposed order which repeats verbatim the substantive portion of the tentative ruling and must email it to contestdept301tr@sftc.org prior to the hearing even if the tentative ruling is not contested.

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