City Councilman’s Defamation Lawsuits Clogged Up in Court Before Local Elections

['Susan Bassi', 'Root', '--Ppa-Color-Scheme', '--Ppa-Color-Scheme-Active', 'Sourceurl Multiple-Authors-Widget-Css-Inline-Css', '.Pp-Multiple-Authors-Boxes-Wrapper.Pp-Multiple-Authors-Layout-Boxed.Multiple-Authors-Target-Action .Pp-Author-Boxes-Avatar Img', 'Width', 'Important', 'Height', 'Border-Radius'] Davis Vanguard 2026-08-09 12:06:00

Court filings list City Attorney Susana Alcala Wood, Assistant City Attorney Ardell Johnson and Deputy City Attorney Joseph D’Amato as counsel of record. A SECOND ANTI-SLAPP MOTION FAILS IN THE SAME CASEDoan filed his own anti-SLAPP motion in the Trieu case on Nov. 24, 2025. Assistant City Attorney Ardell Johnson did respond, in email, declining to comment on pending litigation but disputing the framing of the request. Filing an anti-SLAPP motion automatically pauses, or stays, discovery, the process where each side can demand documents and take sworn testimony. One of those motions, the one over Doan’s own anti-SLAPP motion in the Trieu case, will be decided before Election Day.