Cases: Celebrities

Arbitration, Celebrities: In A 2-1 Split Opinion, The 2/7 DCA Holds That A Law Firm Prevailing In A MFAA Arbitration Was Not The Prevailing Party For Purposes Of Fees/Costs In That Proceeding Because It Waived The Argument In Front Of A CAA Arbitrator And The Superior Court Could Discretionarily Deny Fees Based On The Arbitrator Determining There Was No Prevailing Party In Arbitration Award Confirmation Proceedings

Cases: Arbitration, Cases: Celebrities

Dissenting Justice Saw Things Differently: Superior Court Had To Independently Determine MFAA Award Issue Or Remand To The Arbitrator To Decide. Allan Law Group, P.C. v. Stewart, Case No. B333681 (2d Dist., Div. 7 Mar. 20, 2026) (unpublished) involves an interesting intersection between Mandatory Fee Arbitration Act (MFAA) and California Arbitration Act (CAA) principles where […]

Celebrities, Reasonableness Of Fees, Section 998: The Offspring’s Former Drummer Lost A Contractual Interpretation Dispute, With $856,818 In Contractual Fees Affirmed On Appeal

Cases: Celebrities, Cases: Reasonableness of Fees, Cases: Section 998

Defense Section 998 Offers Found Not To Be Uncertain.                Ron Welty, former drummer of the band The Offspring, sued the band and other affiliated defendants on a contractual interpretation over royalties, with there being a contractual fees clause at issue.  He asked for $2.9 million in damages, but he recovered nothing.  The defendants then

Celebrities, SLAPP: $493,135 In SLAPP Fees And Costs Awarded To Phoebe Bridgers For Winning A SLAPP Motion In A Defamation Case Brought Against Her

Cases: Celebrities, Cases: SLAPP

The Request Was $670,510 In Fees And Costs.             Phoebe Bridgers, an indie folk music songwriter-singer, was sued for defamation by music producer Chris Nelson in Los Angeles County Superior Court.  Earlier, she won a SLAPP motion, which allows for imposition of mandatory reasonable attorney’s fees and costs against the non-prevailing plaintiff.  She moved for

Celebrities: Trial Litigation Expert For Newsweek Estimates That Johnny Depp Has Spent $5.5 Million And Amber Heard Has Spent $3 Million In Fairfax County, Virginia Litigation Where The Case Is Going To The Jury In Short Order

Cases: Celebrities

Mr. Depp May Have Spent $300,000 On Experts, And Ms. Heard Possibly Expended $200,000 On Experts.             In a May 26, 2022 on-line post in Newsweek, Manny Arora of Arora Law Trial Attorneys has estimated that Johnny Depp has expended $5.5 million in prosecuting his defamation action (requesting $50 million in damages) and in defending

Celebrities: Trump Campaign Ordered To Pay $1.3M Attorney’s Fees To Omarosa Manigault Newman

Cases: Celebrities

Celebrities Clash Over Attorney's Fees.         Maggie Haberman of the NYT reported on April 20, 2022, that the campaign organization of celebrity and former president Donald Trump has been ordered to pay celebrity Omarosa Manigault Newman $1.3M in atttorney's fees. The subject of the dispute was apparently an unsuccessful attempt to enforce a nondisclosure agreement

Celebrities, SLAPP: Jeff Bezos’ Girlfriend’s Brother Ordered To Pay $254,404 In SLAPP Fees To Mr. Bezos After Losing Defamation Suit

Cases: Celebrities, Cases: SLAPP

$1.7 Million In Fees Had Been Requested.             Michael Sanchez, a Hollywood talent agent and the brother of Lauren Sanchez (Lauren is Amazon’s Jeff Bezos’s girlfriend), sued Mr. Bezos for defamation arising from allegations that he leaked nude photos of Mr. Bezos to the press.  A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge dismissed the

Celebrities, SLAPP: Former U.S. Rep. Katie Hill Ordered To Pay SLAPP Fees Of A Little Under $30,000 To Talk Show Host Joseph Messina

Cases: Celebrities, Cases: SLAPP

Fees Resulted After She dismissed A Revenge Porn Lawsuit Against Mr. Messina.             Recently, L.A. Superior Court Judge Yolanda Orozco decided that former U.S. Representative Katie Hill must pay former defendant Joe Messina, a radio talk show host, $29,905 in attorney’s fees under the SLAPP fee shifting provision after she dismissed him from her revenge

Celebrities, Section 998: Voluntary Dismissal Of Likeness Claim Does Not Mandate Fee Recovery; Second Settlement Offer, After Unaccepted Earlier 998 Offer, On A Narrower Claim Superseded Prior One Such That Contractual Fee-Shifting Was In Order

Cases: Celebrities, Cases: Section 998

Second 998 Offer Limited To Contractual Claim Extinguished Prior 998 Offer Which Was Broader.             Our Santa Ana Court of Appeal, in Varney Entertainment Group, Inc. v. Avon Plastics, Inc., Case No. G058903 (4th Dist., Div. 3 Feb. 23, 2021) (published), got to entertain some interesting fee issues under the California’s commercial name/likeness statute and

Celebrities, News: Washington Post Reports That Donald Trump Has Instructed Aides Not To Pay Rudy Giuliani’s Legal Fees

Cases: Celebrities, In The News

Of Course, We Are High-Minded And Therefore Only Interested In The Potential Legal Issues . . .          On January 13, 2021, journalists Philip Rucker, Josh Dawsey and Ashley Parker of the  Washington Post, reported that outgoing President Donald Trump has instructed his aides not to pay Rudy Giuliani's legal fees. Specifically, they write: "Trump

Celebrities, SLAPP: 4/3 DCA Affirms $137,340.25 Fees/Costs Awarded To SLAPPing Real Housewives Of Orange County Defendant In Defamation Lawsuit

Cases: Celebrities, Cases: SLAPP

Defendant’s Comments Were Protected Activity As They Were Made In A Public Forum Concerning A Public Interest.             In Bellino v. Beador, Case No. G057255, consolidated with Case No. G058129 (4th Dist., Div. 3 October 23, 2020) (unpublished), Shannon Beador and Tamra Judge, two cast members of the reality show the “Real Housewives of

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