Cross-Defendant Sought $24,760, With Trial Judge Reducing For Only SLAPPing One Claim.
Cross-defendant in Tran v. Eat Club, Inc., Case No. H046773 (6th Dist. Aug. 19, 2020) (unpublished) successfully SLAPPed a first cause of action, but not other claims. Because SLAPP grant fees are mandatory for a defendant/cross-defendant, plaintiff sought $24,760 in fees/costs. The trial judge awarded $8,310 instead. The appellate court affirmed, determining that plaintiff did strike one claim and achieved a significant benefit by narrowing the case for a claim which had some exposure. The reduction confirmed the reasonableness of the order.