A California appellate ruling in a libel lawsuit has attracted the attention of a national press rights organization that warns the decision applies an erroneously low standard for public figures.

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press is asking the California Supreme Court to depublish the Dec. 14 ruling, which upheld a trial court's rejection of a motion to strike, brought under the state's law against strategic lawsuits against public participation, or anti-SLAPP.