Mike Postle Faces Two Motions to Strike As His Lawyers Desert Him

Mike Postle‘s legal fight to seek hundreds of millions in damages from his alleged accusers is going through a bumpy road after two of the defendants in his massive defamation case filed motions to strike his complaints in the courts of California.

Additionally, the lawyers who initially represented Postle in his $330 million defamation lawsuit have now successfully dropped him as client, citing his failure to comply with the written agreement between him and the law firm. The whole issue reportedly revolved around unpaid legal fees.

Just months after the case against Postle was dismissed, the alleged poker cheat fought back, suing several prominent members of the poker community for defamation and libel, arising from the cheating allegations involving livestreamed cash games at Stones Gambling Hall, which Postle claimed had tarnished his reputation and career.

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Among the defendants in the massive defamation lawsuit were poker player and presenter Todd Witteles, as well as former Stones commentator Veronica Brill, who, in September 2019, initially exposed what would become the biggest scandal to hit broadcast poker.

Both Witteles and Brill filed motions to strike Postle’s “meritless” lawsuit, using the anti-SLAPP laws in California. The anti-SLAPP statute allows an individual to file a special motion to strike a complaint against him or her at the beginning of the lawsuit, where that complaint is based on an act exercising the right of petition or free speech with regards to a public issue.

If a court grants the motion, the case will be dismissed early, and the plaintiff will be ordered to pay attorney’s fees and other legal costs.

Witteles and Brill argue that they only exercised their right to free speech in connection to a public issue, involving an individual (Postle) who qualifies as a public figure considering his status as a poker player.

With this, the defendants consider Postle’s lawsuit as a way of intimidating and silencing his critics who were merely expressing their views on an issue that involved public interest. The anti-SLAPP legislation was designed for these scenarios, and this is why baseless defamation cases are generally dismissed in the state.

Postle Remains Silent

With Postle’s former lawyers now granted dismissal as Postle’s counsel, the American poker pro needs to find a new lawyer to represent him when the two motions to strike hit the court.

As of this writing, Postle has yet to issue a statement on the latest developments, but Brill presumes the alleged poker cheat will do nothing and remain in hiding.