Lower Court Did Reduce The Request By $348,208.50, And It Correctly Denied A Positive Multiplier Request By Plaintiff.
In Maas v. McKinnon Broadcasting Co., Case No. D082767 (4th Dist., Div. 1 Jan. 13, 2026) (unpublished), plaintiff obtained a $1,775,000 jury verdict after a four-week trial in a discrimination case, although she did not win on all her claims. The lower court awarded plaintiff $2,376,677.50 in fees but it denied a positive multiplier request, triggering dueling appeals by both sides.
The Court of Appeal affirmed. With respect to the defense argument that she had limited success, the appellate court observed this was taken into account because the trial judge cut the request by $348,208.50. On plaintiff’s cross-appeal, the multiplier request properly was denied because the approved lodestar hourly rates captured the contingency risk factor so that no further enhancement was required. This case illustrates how fee awards in employment cases can eclipse by many times the base compensatory awards.