Mealey's (February 17, 2023, 11:31 AM EST) -- SAN FRANCISCO — A California federal judge on Feb. 16 dismissed with prejudice a lawsuit filed by a former congressional candidate and his campaign committee claiming that the owner of a newspaper violated California’s unfair competition law (UCL) and defamed the candidate by publishing unfair articles on sexual harassment allegations against him, finding the claims barred by the state’s anti-Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP) law....