Judge Denies Evolution’s Bid to Add Playtech to Suit

A New Jersey judge on June 5 denied Evolution’s effort to add Playtech as a defendant in its defamation lawsuit linked to a 2021 Black Cube report. The court refused Evolution’s request to file a second amended complaint and to lift a stay imposed under New Jersey’s anti‑SLAPP law, the Uniform Public Expression Protection Act (UPEPA). Both motions were denied without prejudice.

Judge John Porto of the Superior Court of New Jersey in Atlantic County issued the order. The written decision did not set out a detailed explanation for the denial.

The dispute dates to a 2021 complaint filed by law firm Calcagni & Kanefsky with the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, based on a Black Cube report that alleged Evolution operated in restricted jurisdictions including China, Iran and Sudan. After the complaint became public, Evolution’s market value fell by more than $3 billion. Evolution later sued the law firm, alleging the report was inaccurate, false and defamatory. In February 2024 the state regulator closed its probe and found no evidence of wrongdoing by Evolution.

Court filings in 2025 identified Playtech as the previously unnamed client that had commissioned the Black Cube report. Evolution moved in April 2026 to add Playtech to the case, saying the company had orchestrated a campaign to harm Evolution’s reputation and competitive position in North America by commissioning the report and prompting regulatory attention.

The proposed second amended complaint included claims for trade libel, fraud and racketeering. The filing also referenced statements linked to Playtech CEO Mor Weizer in the context of investor communications.

Playtech rejected the allegations, calling them without merit and maintaining that it stood by its decision to commission the investigation and the findings produced.

The June 5 order did not resolve the broader procedural fight. The court left the UPEPA stay in place while anti‑SLAPP proceedings continue. Under New Jersey’s anti‑SLAPP law, a court can dismiss claims early if it finds the challenged statements are protected public expression and the plaintiff cannot show a probability of prevailing. If Evolution’s case survives that phase, the company may renew its request to add Playtech as a defendant.

A hearing on remaining discovery and procedural disputes is scheduled for November. Retired U.S. District Judge Robert B. Kugler will serve as a special adjudicator to help resolve those issues. The June 5 denial prevents Evolution from pursuing Playtech in this action for now but preserves the company’s ability to seek permission to amend its complaint later in the litigation.