In Make UC a Good Neighbor v. Regents of University of California, published December 19, 2025, the 1st District Court of Appeal, Division 5 affirmed a trial court order denying the plaintiffs’ attorney fee motion under Code of Civil Procedure section 1102.5. The plaintiffs petitioned for a writ challenging the defendant’s Environmental Impact Report under…
In Bronshteyn v. Department of Consumer Affairs, published September 17, 2025 ,the Second District Court of Appeal, Division 8 affirmed an attorney fee award against the defendant department. The plaintiff, an employee of the department, sued the department under FEHA for failure to accommodate or engage in an interactive process, disability discrimination, and failure to…
In Lampkin v. County of Los Angeles, published July 8, 2025, the Second District Court of Appeal, Division 1 reversed a trial court order granting the plaintiff his attorney fees. The plaintiff, a county employee, sued the county for whistleblower retaliation under Labor Code section 1102.5. He sought only damages. The jury found that the employee…
In Robles v. City of Ontario, published November 6, 2024, the Fourth District Court of Appeal, Division 3 reversed a trial court order denying the plaintiffs their attorney fees for enforcing a stipulated judgment. The plaintiffs brought a lawsuit under the Voting Rights Act of 16965 (52 U.S.C section 10301(c)), the California Voting Rights Act (Elec.…
In Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association v. Powell, published October 11, 2024, the Fourth District Court of Appeal, Division 2 reversed an award of fees under the Anti-SLAPP statutes and reversed denial of a special motion to strike under Anti-SLAPP. The plaintiff sued a water district and three of its board members, alleging aquifer replenishment charge assessments…
In Kinney v. Corona, published January 24, 2024, the Fourth District Court of Appeal, Division 2 affirmed in part and reversed in part a trial court's decision awarding a California Public Records Act requestor attorney fees. The plaintiff sent a CPRA request to the defendant city, asking it to provide the name of the owner of…
In San Luis Obispo Local Agency Formation Commission v. Central Coast Development Co., published May 5, 2022, The Second District Court of Appeal, Division 6 reversed an award of attorney fees against the plaintiff agency. A developer and a city applied to the plaintiff agency for a permit to annex a parcel of property. The application included…
In Carlsbad Police Officer's Association v. City of Carlsbad (ACLU), published May 18, 2020, the Fourth District Court of Appeal, Division 1 reversed an order conditioning the intervention in a reverse California Public Records Act petition of the ACLU and various media organizations on the striking of the intervenors' prayers for attorney fees under Code of…
In Caldera v. Department of Corrections, published April 30, 2020, the Fourth District Court of Appeal, Division 3 reversed a fee award under FEHA and remanded it for recalculation. The plaintiff sued his employer for disability discrimination and harassment, based on mockery of his stutter. He contacted numerous lawyers in the Inland Empire area of California…
In Citizens for Free Speech v. County of Alameda, published March 24, 2020, the 9th Circuit affirmed a district court decision dismissing a 42 U.S.C. section 1983 lawsuit based on Younger abstention, and awarding the defendant county attorney fees under 42 U.S.C. section 1988 on the ground the suit was frivolous. The plaintiff entered into an agreement…