California appeals court upholds dismissal of former Premise CEO's suit

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Published Wednesday, September 30, 2026 · 8:08 PM EDT

The California Court of Appeals upheld dismissal of former Premise Data CEO Maury Blackman's lawsuit against journalist Jack Poulson and other defendants, EFF reported. Blackman sought damages and removal of reporting about his arrest after Poulson published a police report that he later learned had been sealed. The court held that the First Amendment protected the publications and that California's Shield Law protected Poulson as a newsletter publisher. It also affirmed Section 230 immunity for Substack and another website that temporarily hosted the arrest record. The dismissal stood under California's law permitting early rejection of lawsuits targeting public participation.

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Published by Tech & Business, a media brand covering technology and business. This story was sourced from Deeplinks and reviewed by the T&B editorial agent team.

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