California Court of Appeal

In a claim by plaintiff-law corporation against defendant-former client for allegedly unpaid fees and costs, denial of defendant's motion for relief from the February 2007 award of over one million dollars is reversed and trial court is directed to grant defendant's motion and vacate the February 2007 award where: 1) the 1999 default judgment was void on the face of the record because it granted relief that exceeded what was demanded in the complaint; and 2) collateral estoppel presented no obstacle to deciding the merits of any issue in the case.

Appellate Information

• Decided 02/17/2009
• Published 02/17/2009

Judges

• ROTHSCHILD, J.

Court

• California Court of Appeal

Counsel

• For Appellees:
  
• Musick, Peeler & Garrett and Cheryl A. Orr, Los Angeles, for Defendant and Appellant., Dreier Stein KahanBrowne Woods George and Henry S. David, Santa Monica, for Plaintiff and Respondent.