USANA ordered to pay for SLAPP violation

  • Vitamin maker USANA Health Sciences Inc. must pay a critic of the multilevel marketing industry who was forced to defend himself against a company lawsuit.

    Federal Magistrate Samuel Alba decided Wednesday that USANA owes $142,510 in attorney fees to a San Diego investigator, Barry Minkow, and his Fraud Discovery Institute.

    Alba's order came after U.S. District Judge Tena Campbell ruled on March 3 that USANA violated California's anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) law for suing Minkow for fair criticism.