Lawsuit Dismissed Against Santa Barbara City And Its Police Chief

The Santa Barbara Superior Court struck down a lawsuit on Tuesday against the City of Santa Barbara, Police Chief Cam Sanchez and Sergeant Riley Harwood.

Joseph Casteneda and nine other people filed the lawsuit over statements Sanchez and Harwood made about gangs and criminal activity by the plaintiffs during a press conference on the gang injunction.

Sgt. Harwood often talks with the reporters about police department matters.

The court ruled in favor of the City’s Anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) motion. The motion allowed the court to dismiss the case in its entirely. By doing so, the court cited Sanchez’s and Harwood’s right to free speech. The court also recognized that “criminal gang activity and police operations to suppress criminal gang activity are matters in which the public is interested.”

The City of Santa Barbara is also entitled to recover its attorney fees.