⚖ Oral Arguments, with Context

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Tallman v. Spencer — 9th Cir. (argued September 15, 2026)

No. 25-4506 Argued September 15, 2026 Published September 16, 2026

The Ninth Circuit hears Jonathan Tallman's defamation appeal against Dillon Spencer. Tallman owns a coffee shop in Boardman, Oregon, coached youth soccer, and unsuccessfully ran for four local offices from 2020 through 2023. A former teenage employee alleged that Tallman touched her and behaved sexually toward her while she worked at the shop; police investigated, but Tallman was never charged. In August 2023, after the former employee shared the police report on Facebook, her stepbrother Spencer posted that Tallman was a predator who had victimized children and had multiple victims. Tallman says those statements are false and sued for defamation and false light. The district court treated Tallman as a public figure, required him to plausibly allege actual malice, and ultimately dismissed the case with prejudice. The appeal asks whether a recent former candidate remains a public figure, and whether the court drew improper inferences against Tallman under Oregon's anti-SLAPP procedure.

Tallman v. Spencer (No. 25-4506) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, argued September 15, 2026.

Sources
Argument audio — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (public domain, 17 U.S.C. § 105):https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/media/2026/09/15/25-4506.mp3
Argument listing — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit:https://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/cases/streams-videos/archive?case=25-4506&hearingDate=2026-09-15
Appellate docket — Tallman v. Spencer:https://dockets.justia.com/docket/circuit-courts/ca9/25-4506
Initial findings and recommendation — District of Oregon:https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-ord-2_23-cv-01773/pdf/USCOURTS-ord-2_23-cv-01773-0.pdf
Public-figure order — District of Oregon:https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-ord-2_23-cv-01773/pdf/USCOURTS-ord-2_23-cv-01773-1.pdf
Actual-malice findings and recommendation — District of Oregon:https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-ord-2_23-cv-01773/pdf/USCOURTS-ord-2_23-cv-01773-2.pdf
Procedural history — District of Oregon:https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-ord-2_23-cv-01773/pdf/USCOURTS-ord-2_23-cv-01773-4.pdf
Oregon Revised Statutes, Chapter 31 — Oregon Legislature:https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors031.html

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