City Is Appealing The Merits Determination Of Voting Rights Violations; Plaintiffs’ Lead Counsel Estimates City Spent Between $13-20 Million On Defense Side.
As reported by Jorge Casuso in “Voting Rights Attorneys Seek More Than $22 Million In Legal Costs” in an updated June 4, 2019 post in the Santa Monica Outlook, Plaintiffs’ attorneys are seeking $22.3 Million in attorney’s fees and expenses after a superior court judge ruled that Santa Monica’s at-large election system discriminates against Latino voters, a Voting Rights Act victory for which there is fees/costs-shifting. City has filed an appeal on the merits. Plaintiffs’ lead counsel estimates that the defense spent between $13-20 million in opposing efforts. Plaintiffs’ attorneys are seeking compensation for hourly rates between $740-975 per hour, with one attorney estimating that the defense attorneys bill out at between $1,000-$1,500 per hour. Right now, a hearing has been requested for late August of this year.