Case Overview
Nick Rekieta is a popular YouTube personality who provides legal commentary on contemporary issues and cases while using a casual, profanity-laced style. Steve Quest, an internet personality and filmmaker who goes by various names, including “Montagraph,” has been the subject of online discussions for a decade. These discussions, as alleged by Quest in his filings, have included allegations of him being involved in the murder of Jon Benet Ramsey, creating a snuff film featuring a minor, and engaging in pedophilia and having sex with a watermelon.
In late 2022, Rekieta began discussing Quest’s reputation and the allegations about him in several videos and livestreams. Quest filed complaints with the Kentucky Bar against Rekieta, but they were unsuccessful. Quest then sued Rekieta for defamation. In response, Rekieta filed a motion to dismiss under Colorado’s Anti-SLAPP law, claiming that Quest was a resident of Colorado. The court denied the motion at that stage because the Court determined that Minnesota law should apply, not Colorado law.
This matter was then brought to the Minnesota Court of Appeal, which determined that since Minnesota did not recognize Anti-SLAPP laws and Colorado’s Anti-SLAPP law was confusing, that the Minnesota Court should not do the normal thing of using the Plaintiff’s home state’s law, but should deviate and use Minnesota law.
Since that ruling, Minnesota passed an Anti-SLAPP law, removing one of the pillars of that decision. Additionally, Colorado’s case law clarified that state’s law, which eroded the other pillar.
Rekeita then filed an updated Anti-SLAPP motion. However, we chose to withdraw it in order to permit discovery to continue.
Upon discovery moving forward, including requests made by Rekeita, the Plaintiff dropped the case in its entirety with no concessions made by our client at all.
This was a resounding victory for free speech.
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