A former employee's text message to a high-profile client has sparked a legal battle involving claims of defamation, interference with contractual relations, and libel. The complaint was filed by Centurion Protection Services on April 2023 in the Superior Court of Los Angeles County against Walter Cuevas.
Centurion Protection Services, a private security firm led by CEO Richard Ray Dudgeon and Secretary Tom Rogers, hired Walter Cuevas as a bodyguard in June 2019. Cuevas was employed to provide protection services to notable clients such as actor-comedian Kevin Hart and his wife. However, in November 2020, Centurion discovered that Cuevas had misrepresented his experience as a firefighter, leading to his termination on November 15, 2020.
In response to his termination, Cuevas filed a lawsuit against Centurion and its executives in November 2021. His complaint included ten claims ranging from violations of the Labor Code to intentional infliction of emotional distress. The situation escalated when Cuevas allegedly disclosed confidential information to third parties in January 2021 and sent a text message to Kevin Hart's wife on August 24, 2022. In the message, he expressed concerns about his family's safety due to ongoing litigation with Centurion and requested a meeting with the Harts.
Centurion's cross-complaint accused Cuevas of intentional interference with contractual relations and prospective economic advantage, defamation, and libel based on the content of this text message. They claimed that Cuevas’s message was intended to disrupt their business relationships and tarnish their reputation with Kevin Hart. Moreover, they alleged that it was an attempt to coerce Hart into persuading Centurion to settle the underlying litigation favorably for Cuevas.
Cuevas responded by filing an anti-SLAPP motion in September 2023, arguing that the text message constituted protected activity under California's anti-SLAPP law (Code Civ. Proc., § 425.16). The trial court agreed with Cuevas, ruling that the text message was connected to pending litigation and thus protected. Furthermore, the court found that Centurion failed to demonstrate minimal merit for their claims as they did not present sufficient evidence beyond unverified pleadings.
The ruling prompted Centurion to appeal; however, the appellate court upheld the trial court’s decision. The judges concluded that communications made in connection with ongoing litigation are protected activities under anti-SLAPP laws unless conclusively illegal—an assertion Centurion could not substantiate.
Centurion Protection Services is represented by Briggs Law with attorneys Cory J. Briggs and Nora Pasin while Walter Cuevas is represented by Matthew Gutierrez from Gutierrez Derham Law Firm. The case is presided over by Judge Holly J. Fujie under Case ID B333621.