Cases: Multipliers

Reasonableness Of Fees: Second Dist. Div. 8 Affirms $493K Fee Award And 1.8 Multiplier In FEHA Case

Cases: Employment, Cases: Multipliers, Cases: Reasonableness of Fees

Attorney Fees Are Rather Discretionary, And The Trial Judge Is Usually In The Best Position To Exercise That Discretion.         Pamela Pollock alleged her supervisor, Michael Kelso, sexually harassed her and discriminated against her based on race by denying her a promotion. The trial court initially ruled the lawsuit was time-barred, but the California Supreme […]

Block Billing, Multipliers, Reasonableness Of Fees: Plaintiff’s Counsel’s Inflated Fee Request In A Non-complex FEHA Case Where Block Billing And Failure To Explain Proliferation In Fees For A Six Month Period Through Trial Justified A Drastic Reduct

Cases: Block Billing, Cases: Multipliers, Cases: Reasonableness of Fees

Fee Request Was About $1.75 Million In A Case Where $36,757.25 In Damages Was Awarded, With A Lower Court Awarding Only $135,102.                Inflated fee requests are often reduced substantially and sometimes denied altogether.  In the next case, block billing, failure to explain a huge jump in the fee request for a six-month period, use

Lodestar, Multipliers: Lower Court’s Reducing Hours/Hourly Rate For Two Attorneys/One Paralegal And Not Applying A Positive Multiplier Was No Abuse Of Discretion In Routine FEHA Employment Case

Cases: Lodestar, Cases: Multipliers

Trial Judge Applied The Correct Lodestar And Multiplier Factors, Awarding Plaintiff’s Attorneys $1,054,494 In Fees Under FEHA.                In Young v. Dept. of Public Social Services, Case No. B329748 (2d Dist., Div. 5 Sept. 6, 2024) (unpublished), plaintiff won $3.5 million in damages on a retaliation claim, but plaintiff’s attorneys sought a $1.498 million lodestar

Class Actions, Multipliers, Private Attorney General, Reasonableness Of Fees: $1.174 Million Award To Class Counsel In Fair Debt Collection Practices Case Affirmed On Appeal

Cases: Class Actions, Cases: Multipliers, Cases: Private Attorney General (CCP 1021.5), Cases: Reasonableness of Fees

Significant Benefit Incurred, If Injunctive Relief Was Considered, And Other Objections Were Not Specific To Justify Any Reduction.                In Doskocz v. ALLS Lien Services, Case No. A166299 (1st Dist., Div. 1 May 20, 2024) (partially published; fee discussion unpublished), class counsel prevailed on behalf of plaintiffs in case involving some novel and complex issues

Ethics, Lodestar, Multipliers: Lower Court Properly Applied A .4 Negative Multiplier To A FEHA Fee Request Based On Plaintiff’s Counsel’s Incivility Throughout The Litigation

Cases: Ethics, Cases: Lodestar, Cases: Multipliers

2/3 DCA Agreed With The Reasoning In Karton.             More and more, we are seeing appellate opinions, whether published or not, stressing the need for civility among attorneys in litigation cases.  In fact, there are proposals being considered which would require that California attorneys, annually, have to reaffirm their oath and to confirm they will

Costs, Default Judgments, Multipliers, Paralegal Time: $709,620 In Attorney’s Fees Entered As Part Of A Default Judgment After Entry of Terminating Sanctions Was Affirmed On Appeal

Cases: Costs, Cases: Default Judgments, Cases: Multipliers, Cases: Paralegal Time

Complaint Did Not Have To Plead An Exact Amount Of Fees; 3.0 Positive Multiplier Appropriate; PAGA Settlement Administration Expenses/Paralegal and Legal Assistant Expenses Properly Allowed As Routine Costs.             Haaverson v. Tavistock Freebirds, LLC, Case No. A164043 (1st Dist., Div. 5 Aug. 18, 2023) (unpublished) is an interesting opinion which explores whether a complaint needs

Civil Rights, Lodestar, Multipliers: 4/3 DCA Affirms Majority Of $4.053 Million Civil Rights Fee Award To Prevailing Plaintiff, Remanding Solely For A Study Of Hourly Rates Submitted By Three Attorneys

Cases: Civil Rights, Cases: Lodestar, Cases: Multipliers

Case Has Interesting Discussions of Civil Rights Lodestar, Multipliers, Hourly Rate Review, and Pro Hac Vice Delayed Admission Principles.             Presiding Justice O’Leary authored Nachtrieb v. County of Orange, Case No. G060294 (4th Dist., Div. 3 Aug. 11, 2023) (unpublished), which is a must read for civil rights litigators when it comes to supporting and

Lodestar, Multipliers, Reasonableness Of Fees: Plaintiff Properly Awarded $30,450 In Attorney’s Fees Rather Than The “Ask” Of $98,770

Cases: Lodestar, Cases: Multipliers, Cases: Reasonableness of Fees

Fee Request Reduced On Hourly Rate Ask And Work On An Unfiled Summary Judgment Motion, With Plaintiff’s Multiplier Request Being Denied.             Plaintiff accepted a defense CCP § 998 offer waiving a car purchase deficiency and paying her $2,001, with the lower court allowed to determine an award of attorney’s fees and costs to plaintiff

Multipliers: Dicta In Unpublished Case Implies That Fee Agreement With “Incurred” Language Did Not Prevent A Multiplier

Cases: Multipliers

Appellate Decision Suggested That San Dieguito Partnership Decision Was Undermined By PLCM Group.             Because appellant really failed to support challenges to a fee decision, dicta in Counts v. Chadwick, Case No. A163282 (1st Dist., Div. 1 Nov. 15, 2022) (unpublished) has more importance for practitioners in fee proceedings.  Specifically, appellant claimed that an award

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