California Court of Appeal

In suit by former tenants against landlord, six-figure attorney's fee award to tenants is affirmed over claims that: 1) the trial court erred by awarding attorney's fees related to matters beyond the contract cause of action for return of the tenants' security deposit; 2) the amount awarded so far exceeded the fees suggested for contested contract cases in Los Angeles Superior Court Rule 3.2, it amounted to an abuse of discretion requiring reversal; and 3) the award included fees incurred on behalf of tenants who did not have a contractual right to them, even though the fees sought were for legal work performed on legal issues common to all tenants.

Appellate Information

• Decided 10/03/2007
• Published 10/03/2007

Judges

• JOHNSON, J.

Court

• California Court of Appeal

Counsel

• For Appellees:
  
• Law Offices of Pollie Okoronkwo and Pollie Okoronkwo;  Law Offices of Wayne M. Abb and Wayne M. Abb, North Hollywood, for Defendant and Appellant., O'Melveny & Myers, Paul B. Salvaty, Catalina J. Vergara and Shannon Keast, Los Angeles;  Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles and T.E. Glenn, for Plaintiffs and Respondents.