Cases: Reasonableness of Fees

Reasonableness Of Fees, Section 1717: $1,047,313.72 Contractual Fee Recovery To Defendants Was Not Excessive In Long-Running Litigation

Cases: Reasonableness of Fees, Cases: Section 1717

Civil Code Section 1717 Has No “Obligation-To-Pay” Requirement.             Defendants in Legendary Investors Group v. Niemann, Case No. B284736 (2d Dist., Div. 4 Jan. 16, 2019) (unpublished) prevailed in a long-running suit against plaintiff involving commercial loan and guaranty documents. Defendants, as prevailing parties, requested fees of $1,061,208.22, with the lower court awarding $1,047,313.72. Plaintiff […]

Civil Rights, Reasonableness Of Fees: Trial Judge Properly Awarded Fees Of $710,000 To A Somewhat Successful Plaintiff In A FEHA Case, Rejecting Inflated Fee Request Of Over $2.7 Million

Cases: Civil Rights, Cases: Reasonableness of Fees

Compensatory Award Was $307,762, Even Though Jury Was Asked To Award $7 Million.             Inflated fee requests, as we know from the oft-quoted decision in Christian Research Institute v. Alnor, 165 Cal.App.4th 1315, 1325-1326 (2008), are a special situation which allows a trial judge to substantially reduce or deny altogether the request. Alnor was front

Consumer Statutes, Costs, Reasonableness Of Fees: 4/2 DCA Reverses Fee Award Under Song-Beverly Act Where Trial Judge Seemed To Base Award On Proportionality Of Fees To Modest Damages Award

Cases: Consumer Statutes, Cases: Costs, Cases: Reasonableness of Fees

Also, Denial Of Trial Transcript Expenses Reversed Because They Were Compensable Under Song-Beverly Act Costs/Fee-Shifting Provision.             Although occurring in the civil rights context, we foresaw in our December 20, 2015 post on Kerkeles v. City of San Jose, 243 Cal.App.4th 88, 102-104 (2015) that it would have much more significance in other substantive areas.

Homeowner Associations, Mediation, Reasonableness Of Fees: $225,000 Fee Recovery In Favor Of HOA And Against Losing Condo Owner Affirmed On Appeal

Cases: Homeowner Associations, Cases: Mediation, Cases: Reasonableness of Fees

Mediation Requirement Did Not Apply To HOA-Owner Dispute, Owner Failed To Specifically Identify Objections Fees, And Lower Court Did Award Substantially Reduced Fees From The HOA’s Requests.             We have done many posts showing how HOAs or owners can be subject to substantial fee exposure for losing HOA-owner disputes. Seahaus La Jolla Owners Assn. v.

Discovery, Reasonableness Of Fees: 6 DCA Remands Determination For Prevailing Party Under Subpoena To Look Again At Amount Of Fees To Be Awarded

Cases: Discovery, Cases: Reasonableness of Fees

CCP § 1987.2 Prevailing Party Fees In Subpoena Context Might Depend On Who Met Litigation Objectives, Although The Test Is Not Crystal Clear.             John/Jane Roe v. Halbig, Case No. H043248 (6th Dist. Nov. 20, 2018) (published) is an interesting, but somewhat perplexing, opinion on the fees to be awarded to a party which ultimately

Reasonableness of Fees, Special Fee Shifting Statute: Trial Judge Correctly Denied $94,934 Fee Request To Prevailing Party Under Civil Harassment Fee-Shifting Statute

Cases: Reasonableness of Fees, Cases: Special Fee Shifting Statutes

Excessiveness Of Request Justified Entire Denial Of Fees Motion Demand.             If you request an excessive fee award, you can be slammed entirely under a lot of California fee-shifting statutes. One of the big cases is Chavez v. City of Los Angeles, 47 Cal.4th 970 (2010) [our Leading Case No. 13], where a FEHA request

Reasonableness Of Fees: $17,500 Fee Award Was Reasonable In Wrongful Foreclosure Action Dismissed After Plaintiff Failed To Amend Complaint

Cases: Reasonableness of Fees

Plaintiff Complained Fees Were For Pre-Trial Efforts, But They Were For Lawsuit Defense Efforts And Were Properly Awarded.             In Fung v. Oregon Trail Corp., Case No. B279366 (2d Dist., Div. 7 Nov. 19, 2018) (unpublished), defendant lender won an attorney’s award of $17,500 after the trial court dismissed a wrongful foreclosure action once plaintiff

Class Action, Costs, Lodestar, Reasonableness Of Fees, Section 998: Trial Judge Properly Awarded Class $333,000 In Attorney’s Fees Out Of Requested $780,845.62

Cases: Class Actions, Cases: Costs, Cases: Lodestar, Cases: Reasonableness of Fees, Cases: Section 998

However, Lower Court Did Properly Award Voluntary Mediation Expenses And Expert Fees Incurred By The Class After Rejection Of A CCP § 998 Offer.             In Diaz v. Grill Concepts Service, Inc., Case No. B284146 (2d Dist., Div. 2 Oct. 19, 2018) (unpublished), former restaurant employees of a Daily Grill brought a class action for

Fee Clause Interpretation, Reasonableness Of Fees: Appellant’s Failure To Discuss Fee Clause Entitlement Under Note Fees Clause And Failure To Provide Reporter’s Transcript (RT) Of Fee Hearing Doomed Merits Of Her Appeal

Cases: Fee Clause Interpretation, Cases: Reasonableness of Fees

Absence Of RT Can Be Fatal Indeed, Meaning Inadequate Record On Appeal.             Appellants need to address legal fee entitlement bases and provide a reporter’s transcript of a fee hearing when challenges are made to either the merits or the amount of fees awarded. We have posted many times about how appellate courts will rebuff

Civil Rights, Reasonableness Of Fees, Substantiation Of Fees: Third Circuit Court Of Appeals Denies Unreasonable Civil Rights Fee Petition And Affirms Sanctions Of $25,000 Against Attorney

Cases: Civil Rights, Cases: Reasonableness of Fees, Cases: Substantiation of Reasonableness of Fees

Entire Fee Motion Denied For Misconduct And Inflated Fees, A Companion To Our Post On The Clemens Decision.             While co-contributor Mike was out on a short vacation, his legal assistant Shanna Strader was kind enough to post on Clemens v. New York Cent. Mut. Fire Ins. Co., No. 17-3150 (3d Cir. Sept. 12, 2018)

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