Recent Articles
Sanctions: Where Ex-Attorneys Failed To Dismiss A Case As Promised, Sanctions Were Appropriate Where The Case Was Not Dismissed During The Safe Harbor Period Or Even By The Date Of The Sanctions Hearing
$10,450 In Sanctions Under CCP Section 128.7 Were Imposed, Less Than The $37,000-Plus Request. Ghermezian v. Ruiz, Case No. B345272 (2d Dist., Div. 1 Aug….
Reasonableness Of Fees: $72,441 Fee Award In Contentious Real Estate Litigation Is Affirmed On Appeal
$96,529 Was The Request, With No Reporter’s Transcript And No Abuse Of Discretion Sealing The Conclusion. Nasey v. Fell Holdings LLC, Case No. A175452 (1st…
Arbitration, Sanctions: $1,822.50 Sanction Issued By Arbitrator Without Notices Is Stricken From Confirmed Arbitration Award
However, The Remaining Part Of A Substantial Award Is Sustained. In Alharbi Brothers v. Corona Town Farmers Market, Case No. D086595 (4th Dist., Div. 1…
Private Attorney General: Litigant Obtaining Relief For Himself As Far As Clarifying An Arbitration Award On His Medical License Was Properly Denied CCP § 1021.5 Fees Because It Did Not Vindicate A Broader Interest—Just His Interest
$234,344 Fee Request, Denied By The Lower Court, Was Sustained On Appeal. In Bulkin v. Medical Board of Cal., Case No. B350396 (2d Dist., Div….
In The News . . . . Orange County Has Spent $4.1 Million In Attorney’s Fees Over Four Years In Defending Cases Involving A Former OC District Attorney Supervisor In Sexual Harassment Cases
Settlements And Verdicts Total About $12 Million, With Appeals Being Pursued On The Contested Cases. As reported in the August 16, 2026 edition of The…
Costs, Quantum Meruit: Discharged Attorneys Not Paid By Client Had $60,000 Damages Award Stricken For Insufficient Evidence
Attorneys Did Not Present Any Evidence Of Hourly Rate Or Hours Worked; However, Costs Award Was Affirmed. Pacific Attorney Group v. Nejad, Case No. G064975…
Appeal Sanctions: $5,000 Was The Appellate Sanction For Filing A Frivolous Writ Petition
Also, Lack Of Candor With The Appellate Court In The Writ Petition Was Mentioned. The 4/3 DCA, in West v. Superior Court, Case No. G066888…
Landlord/Tenant, Nonsignatories, Section 1717: Out Of Two Defendants Claiming To Be Prevailing Parties Under A Contractual Lease Clause, Neither Was Entitled To Fees
One Defendant Was Found To Forfeit All Rights Under The Lease On Summary Adjudication, And The Other Was Not A Lease Signatory. In Morales v….
Section 998: California Supreme Court Rules That Section 998 Offers With Alternative Options Are Valid, If Properly Structured With Certainty For The Options
It Disagrees With The Court of Appeal’s Categorical Invalidity Argument. In Gorobets v. Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC, Case No. S287946 (Cal. Supreme Court…
Family Law: $159,669.44 Award In Needs-Based Fees To Ex-Wife Was Sustained On Appeal
Record Showed A Disparity In Financial Conditions, With Ex-Wife’s Counsel’s Showing For The Fees Being Sufficient In Nature. In Marriage of Bridges, Case No. F088836…
Appeal Sanctions, Discovery, Sanctions: $7,870.41 Discovery Sanctions Affirmed On Appeal For Failure To Produce Metadata For A Crucial Meeting Summary Which Was The Bases For An Employee’s Termination
Defense’s Privilege Objections Found Unpersuasive, But A Request for Appeal Sanctions Was Denied. The lower court in Romero v. Gopher Media LLC, Case No. D086508…
Appeal Sanctions, Ethics: Appellants’ Counsel’s Disparaging The Trial Judge Of Being Biased, Without Any Support, Drew A $1,000 Contempt Sanction
Plus The Opinion Had To Be Reported To The State Bar. A Company Hungary KFT v. Bespalov, Case No. B336640a (2d Dist., Div. 4 Aug….
Allocation, Fee Clause Interpretation, Nonsignatories: $1,062,813.20 Fee Award In Favor Of Corporate Executives And Directors Is Affirmed On Appeal In Contentious Battle Involving Contracts Between Plaintiff And Banc Of California Executives/Directors
Fee Clause Broadly Encompassed Any Dispute Resulting In Litigation, Executives/Directors Were Fee Clause Nonsignatories Entitled To Fees, And No Apportionment Was Needed Given Breadth Of…
SLAPP: $7,410 Fee And $956.79 Cost Awards Against Non-Prevailing Plaintiff, Whose Whole Complaint Was SLAPPed, Holds Up On Appeal
Lower Court Substantially Cut Defense Counsel’s Claimed Hours And Cut The Hourly Rate Request. In Mirjafarifiroozabadi v. Man, Case No. G066134 (4th Dist., Div. 3…
Private Attorney General: Coalition Of City Employees/Union Were Entitled To CCP § 1021.5 Fees, Not Disclosed In Amount, Based On A Failure To Meaningfully Bargain Over A Labor Dispute—You Labor Attorneys Know The Importance Of This
Private Attorney General Elements Were Met, Under An Abuse Of Discretion Standard. Although we do not know the amount of the fees awarded in City…
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Sanctions: Where Ex-Attorneys Failed To Dismiss A Case As Promised, Sanctions Were Appropriate Where The Case Was Not Dismissed During The Safe Harbor Period Or Even By The Date Of The Sanctions Hearing
$10,450 In Sanctions Under CCP Section 128.7 Were Imposed, Less Than The $37,000-Plus Request. Ghermezian v. Ruiz, Case No. B345272 (2d Dist., Div. 1 Aug. 24, 2026) (unpublished) involved a dispute between ex-attorneys against the ex-client and the subsequent attorneys over settlement fund dispersal after a settlement was obtained by the subsequent attorneys. As generally…
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Reasonableness Of Fees: $72,441 Fee Award In Contentious Real Estate Litigation Is Affirmed On Appeal
$96,529 Was The Request, With No Reporter’s Transcript And No Abuse Of Discretion Sealing The Conclusion. Nasey v. Fell Holdings LLC, Case No. A175452 (1st Dist., Div. 2 Aug. 21, 2026) (unpublished) involved 2 1/2 years of contentious real estate litigation where five defendants finally obtained judgment on the pleadings against a plaintiff breaching a…
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Arbitration, Sanctions: $1,822.50 Sanction Issued By Arbitrator Without Notices Is Stricken From Confirmed Arbitration Award
However, The Remaining Part Of A Substantial Award Is Sustained. In Alharbi Brothers v. Corona Town Farmers Market, Case No. D086595 (4th Dist., Div. 1 Aug. 18, 2026) (unpublished), an arbitrator issued a substantial $1.35 million-plus arbitration award against a losing party (inclusive a fee award) and an additional $1,822.50 sanctions against the losing party…
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Private Attorney General: Litigant Obtaining Relief For Himself As Far As Clarifying An Arbitration Award On His Medical License Was Properly Denied CCP § 1021.5 Fees Because It Did Not Vindicate A Broader Interest—Just His Interest
$234,344 Fee Request, Denied By The Lower Court, Was Sustained On Appeal. In Bulkin v. Medical Board of Cal., Case No. B350396 (2d Dist., Div. 7 Aug. 17, 2026) (unpublished), a physician/surgeon did obtain a prior unpublished successful appeal in which the lower court was directed to remove from the Medical Board’s records a post…
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In The News . . . . Orange County Has Spent $4.1 Million In Attorney’s Fees Over Four Years In Defending Cases Involving A Former OC District Attorney Supervisor In Sexual Harassment Cases
Settlements And Verdicts Total About $12 Million, With Appeals Being Pursued On The Contested Cases. As reported in the August 16, 2026 edition of The Orange County Register, Orange County has incurred about $12 million in settlements and verdicts in sexual harassment cases involving a former Orange County District Attorney Supervisor. Some of the jury…
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Costs, Quantum Meruit: Discharged Attorneys Not Paid By Client Had $60,000 Damages Award Stricken For Insufficient Evidence
Attorneys Did Not Present Any Evidence Of Hourly Rate Or Hours Worked; However, Costs Award Was Affirmed. Pacific Attorney Group v. Nejad, Case No. G064975 (4th Dist., Div. 3 Aug. 14, 2026) (unpublished) is a good reminder of the type of evidence that discharged attorneys must present to obtain a quantum meruit damages award for…