Work On The Motion Was Excessive.
After a case was voluntarily dismissed, a defendant brought a SLAPP fee motion and requested $38,317.50 in mandatory fees as the prevailing party (inclusive of a 1.5 positive multiplier) in Kim v. Woocher, Case No. B337918 (Dec. 18, 2025) (unpublished). The lower court only granted $5,000 in fees based on $500 per hour for ten hours of work, finding the work request was excessive and highlighted by defendant requesting 8 hours to submit a 2-page reply. The appellate court affirmed, determining that the lodestar method does not require that a trial judge blindly accept an attorney’s attestation on what fees should be awarded—rather, reasonableness is the guiding standard.