Cases: POOF!

Civil Rights/Private Attorney General: Plaintiff Winning Mandate In Riverside County Termination Case Gets $99,665 In Fees Evaporated On Appeal

Cases: Civil Rights, Cases: POOF!, Cases: Private Attorney General (CCP 1021.5)

  Neither CCP § 1021.5 Nor 42 U.S.C. § 1988 Supported Fee Award.      In Rivera v. County of Riverside, Case No. E055956 (4th Dist., Div. 2 Aug. 1, 2014) (unpublished), plaintiff obtained mandate for an administrative hearing based on her termination by the County of Riverside under unusual factual circumstances, eventually leading to a […]

Costs/POOF/SLAPP: Two-Fer—Appellate Costs Award Affirmed Based On Costs Memorandum And $37,857.97 SLAPP Fees/Costs Award Goes POOF! Upon Reversal Of SLAPP Grant

Cases: Costs, Cases: POOF!, Cases: SLAPP

Karnazes v. Hartford, Case No. A139421 (1st Dist., Div. 2 June 27, 2014) (unpublished) ​In a long-standing antagonistic battle between two former law partners, a cross-respondent was awarded costs by the appellate court after a cross-appeal was dismissed. The winner then filed a costs memo for $627.50 in appeals costs, prompting yet another appeal after

POOF!/Retainer Agreement/Prevailing Party and Section 1717: Appellate Court’s Reversal of Fee Disgorgement Order Meant Remand Necessary To See Who Prevailed

Cases: POOF!, Cases: Prevailing Party, Cases: Retainer Agreements, Cases: Section 1717

  Client’s Fee/Costs Recovery of $688,634 Goes POOF! For Now.      In Fleischman v. Law Office of Paul Stanton, Case No. B216898 (2d Dist., Div. 8 June 12, 2014) (unpublished), which involved nasty conservatorship/elder abuse claims among trust beneficiaries with respect to a deceased trustee, client was able to invalidate a retainer agreement which placed

Deeds of Trust/POOF!: Trial Court’s Judicial Imposition Of Lien On Future Third Party Tortfeasor Monetary Recovery, Including Fee And Costs Awards, Goes POOF! On Appeal

Cases: Deeds of Trust, Cases: POOF!

  Judicial Lien Imposition Found to be the Equivalent of an Improper Deficiency Judgment.      Borrower/former owner of San Diego property damaged by 2007 wildfires was nonjudicially foreclosed out of the property by a junior lienholder, which held the property for a couple of years before losing it to a foreclosing senior lienholder. Former owner

POOF!: $127,610 CEQA Fee Award Goes Away When Appellate Court Reverses And Orders Dismissal Based On Short-Fused Validation “Statute of Limitations”

Cases: POOF!

  Lodestar Plus 2.0 Positive Multiplier Fee Award Went Away.      Van de Kamps Coalition v. L.A. Community College District, Case No. B241970 (2d Dist., Div. 2 Apr. 2, 2014) (unpublished)involved a CEQA challenge in litigation between plaintiff and LACCD (primarily) regarding the historic Van de Kamp’s Bakery property located around Fletcher Drive and San

Construction/Fee Clause Interpretation: Where Payment Bond Made Clear That Surety Not Liable To Additional Fees/Costs Above Penal Bond Sum, Party Obtaining Fees In Derogation Of This Limitation Not Entitled to Fees

Cases: Construction, Cases: Fee Clause Interpretation, Cases: POOF!

  Only County Entitled to Additional Fees/Costs Over Penal Sum Based on Clear Terms in Payment Bond.      In Granite Constr. Co. v. Bond Safeguard Ins. Co., Case No. C066759 (3d Dist. Mar. 13, 2014) (unpublished), surety under a payment bond lost an exoneration argument at trial based on a settlement agreement which had a

Appealability/Homeowner Associations/POOF!: Merits Reversal Also Meant Fee Award Went POOF! Even Though No Appeal From Fee Order Was Achieved

Cases: Appealability, Cases: Homeowner Associations, Cases: POOF!

  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

Allocation/POOF!: Split Decision On Applicability Of Two Guaranties Meant Dueling Fee Awards Had To Be Reconsidered On Remand

Cases: Allocation, Cases: POOF!

  Even a Partial Reversal Can See a Substantial Fee Award Goes POOF!      City of Novato v. Morgan, Case No. A130899 (1st Dist., Div. 3 Feb. 27, 2014) (unpublished) involved the scope of personal guaranties to perform under two residential subdivision agreements. In prior litigation not involving the two guaranties, City was successful in

IP/POOF!/SLAPP: A SLAPP Fee Award And Copyright Claim Dismissal Fee Recovery Go POOF!, While Another SLAPP Fee Award Of $248,506 Plus Fees On Fees Affirmed

Cases: Intellectual Property, Cases: POOF!, Cases: SLAPP

Appealing Parties Could Not Surmount Abuse of Discretion Standard on Second SLAPP Fee Award.      In Graham-Sult v. Clainos, Case No. 11-16779 (9th Cir. Feb. 5, 2014) (published), one defendants obtained a SLAPP fee recovery of $126,431.50 (out of a requested $133,431.50) and a second group of defendants obtained a SLAPP fee recovery of $248,506

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