Lewis Brisbois Successfully Concludes Privacy Dispute for Comedian Kathy Griffin Following Calif. Supreme Court Denial of Review

Los Angeles, Calif. (October 18, 2021) - On October 13, 2021, the California Supreme Court declined to review a published, unanimous opinion of the Court of Appeal in favor of comedian Kathy Griffin and her husband, Randy Bick. The plaintiff-appellants claimed Ms. Griffin and Mr. Bick violated their privacy rights by using home security cameras to record “every move and every communication” in the plaintiffs’ private back yard. 

Ms. Griffin and Mr. Bick maintained that the lawsuit was filed by their neighbors in retaliation after the husband directed what the Court of Appeal described as “an expletive-laden rant” at Ms. Griffin and Mr. Bick. The neighbor's rant was recorded by security cameras and reported in the media, as well as publicized during Ms. Griffin’s performances at the Dolby Theater.

In the trial court, Ms. Griffin and Mr. Bick successfully moved for summary adjudication of the plaintiffs’ privacy causes of action. In July 2021, the Court of Appeal affirmed, calling the appellants’ claims “hyperbole.” 

The Court of Appeal’s July ruling was a victory for all those seeking to protect themselves from harassment in their own homes using basic home security cameras. The California Supreme Court's decision to decline review further strengthens that ruling.

Ms. Griffin and Mr. Bick were represented by Lewis Brisbois Trial Partners Dana Alden Fox, Michael S. Moss, and Greg Ryan, and Certified Appellate Specialists Jeffry A. Miller and Wendy S. Dowse, along with Adam Siegler of Greenberg Traurig.