Levatino v. Apple Tree Café Touring, Inc.

OPINION

Opinion by

Justice Whitehill

Appellees Apple Tree Café Touring, Inc. and Erica Wright sued appellant Paul Le-vatino for a declaratory judgment that Le-vatino was not a “talent manager” for ap-pellees. Levatino appeals the trial court’s denial of his motion to dismiss both appel-lees’ claims under .Texas’s anti-SLAPP statute, Chapter 27 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code.

This Chapter 27 case addresses whether a declaratory-judgment suit filed after receiving a lawyer’s demand letter threatening a defamation suit was brought in response to the defendant’s exercise of his rights…