CHANTZ CANDLER v. JOHN JAMES

Citations

• 2026 OK CIV APP 7

Syllabus

¶1 John James (\James\) appeals the district court's July 9, 2025, Order denying his Motion to Dismiss under the Oklahoma Citizens Participation Act (\OCPA\). Chantz Candler, Chase Candler, James Benjamin Kimmel, Michelle Kimmel, Mike Jones, Patrick Smith, Linda Smith, James William Wells, Kevin Brown, and Jim Clements (collectively, \Lessees\) brought suit for defamation, after James made assertions that Lessees had not been paying rent and insurance on their aircraft hangar space in a news article and on social media. In his Motion, James asserted that Lessees could not establish by clear and specific evidence a prima facie case of defamation. The district court found that Lessees met this burden and that facts were still in dispute requiring the case to proceed for a final resolution. Based on our review of the briefs and appellate record, we affirm the district court's Order.