The firm is pleased to announce that Michael Kump, Ashlee Difuntorum, Amber Melius, Allen Secretov, and Ray Seilie have authored the Trends and Developments section for USA – California in the 2026 edition of the Chambers and Partners Defamation & Reputation Management Guide. This Chambers Guide serves to provide “the latest legal information and up-to-date commentary on claims of defamation and harassment (including their reputational impact), as well as violations of privacy and data protection laws.”
Recognizing their deep expertise in the space, Chambers invited Mike, Ashlee, Amber, Allen, and Ray to analyze emerging trends and legal developments in California defamation laws. These trends include:
- Recent defamation rulings in entertainment cases that underscore the need for careful evaluation before filing, given the now widespread anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) laws;
- The federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals’ reversal of twenty years of precedent in ruling that the denial of an anti-SLAPP motion is not immediately appealable, which has significant implications for litigating defamation and related issues in federal court;
- California’s significant updates and improvements to its laws regarding AI-generated likenesses and deepfake content; and
- The changes to defamation law practice that will arise from recent rapid improvements in AI video generation technology, embodied by OpenAI’s Sora 2.
Chambers Global Practice Guides provide expert legal commentary on a number of main practice areas in key jurisdictions around the world. For every guide, Chambers selects contributors who are widely recognized as the best in their field.
