SLAPP: Where SLAPP Defendant Groups Were Granted Reduced Fees, Plaintiff’s Appeal About The Lower Amounts Awarded Did Not Resonate On Appeal

Lower Court Even Applied Discounted Hourly Rates Stipulated To By Defense Counsel–No Abuse of Discretion Demonstrated.

In Qassimyar v. Ortega, Case No. D084317 (4^th Dist., Div. 1 Feb. 19, 2026) (unpublished), plaintiff lost a SLAPP motion brought by two sets of defendants.  The merits determination was affirmed on appeal, but plaintiff also contested mandatory fee awards to the defendants.  One group requested fees of $24,396 and costs of $4,565, but the lower court awarded $11,800 in fees and $4,540 in costs.  The other group requested fees of $23,590 and costs of $1,450, but the lower court awarded $13,210 in fees and $1,378 in costs.  The appellate court found no abuse of discretion in the rulings below, especially given that the defense agreed to discounted fees charged to the client and given that the lower court did reduce the fee requests for duplication/other items.