$164,474.50 Fee Recovery Denial Affirmed On Appeal. Patterson v. Sherwood Valley Homeowners Assn., Case No. B254446 (2d Dist., Div. 6 Jan. 6, 2014) (unpublished) demonstrates that the theory of the case may well determine whether fee entitlement for or against a party is in order. In this one, HOA won a tree
Other Side Did Obtain a $53,000 Judgment, So Partial Wins and Losses Sustained No Prevailing Party Lower Court Determination. In Fed. Nat. Mortg. Assn. v. Rothman, Case No. G048156 (4th Dist., Div. 3 Jul. 28, 2014) (unpublished), HOA attorney/litigant filed a costs memorandum and fees motion claiming he was the winning party in
HOA Practically Prevailed Even Though Eventually Dismissing Case Without Prejudice. Homeowner in Sungate Country Owners Assn. v. Stephens, Case No. E055751 (4th Dist., Div. 2 May 28, 2014) (unpublished) may have thought he was safe from fee exposure after HOA dismissed its case without prejudice after winning a preliminary injunction relating to unauthorized
Important Nuance to Keep in Mind—Trial Court Directed to Vacate Fee Award. Bel Air Glen Homeowners Assn., Inc. v. Dowlatshahi, Case No. B243549 (2d Dist., Div. 1 Mar. 5, 2014) (unpublished) has a Monty Pythonesque quality about it. What happened was that an HOA Board of Directors got its directors’ collective hackles
$180 Hourly Rates Certainly Reasonable, With Nothing in Record Showing Abuse of Discretion. We have seen many homeowners getting stung badly by fee awards in favor of prevailing HOAs, which counsels that parties in HOA disputes try to work things out or go to mediation to avoid big fee run-ups. In The
This One May Have Interesting Repercussions In HOA Lien Enforcement Actions. Huntington Cont’l Town House Assn. v. JM Trust, 2014 Cal.App. LEXIS 41 (Orange County Superior Court Appellate Division) (Jan. 13, 2014) (published) is an interesting decision in the HOA assessment lien enforcement area. In essence, the superior court appellate division decided that
Well, we are closing out a year, but our intermediate California Courts of Appeal are still busy. Here are two from the Second District, Division 6. Smith v. Vista Grande, Inc., Case No. B242332 (2d Dist., Div. 6 Dec. 31, 2013) (Unpublished) – Homeowners Association. Lighting hot water heater in house at
Issue Is Whether Prevailing Homeowner Entitled To Civil Code Section 1354 Fees When HOA Found Not To Be A CID. On May 16, 2013, we posted on the unpublished Second District decision of Tract 19051 Homeowners Assn. v. Kemp, Case No. B235015 (2d Dist., Div. 4 May 15, 2013). In this decision, the
In many respects, Tract 19051 Homeowners Assn. v. Kemp, Case No. B235015 (2d Dist., Div. 4 May 15, 2013) (unpublished) was not a difficult decision once the liminal legal issue was decided. Because no common interest development was involved, a defense award of fees had to be overturned under Civil Code section 1354.
In Hoofman v. Pacific Crest Community Assn., Case No. B230036 (2d Dist., Div. 1 Apr. 16, 2013) (unpublished), an HOA won some breach of fiduciary claims against homeowners. However, they were denied fee recovery. The appellate court affirmed, finding that the win on the breach of fiduciary claims did not fall within the
