California Court of Appeal

In plaintiffs' action against their former employer, a temporary staffing firm, for hour and wage violations, trial court's award of plaintiffs' attorneys fees' is affirmed in part, reversed in part and remanded where: 1) the court did not err by reducing the lodestar amount by no more than 15 percent to reflect the parties' litigation of the unfair competition claims because the legal and factual issues presented in those claims were interrelated with those issues presented by plaintiffs' wage and hour claims; 2) the record supports the trial court's application of a 1.75 multiplier to the reduced lodestar amount for attorney fees generated up until plaintiffs brought their motion for attorney fees based on the factors set forth in Ketchum; and 3) the record does not support trial court's application of a 1.75 multiplier to fees incurred in bringing the motion for attorney fees.

Appellate Information

• Decided 02/25/2010
• Published 02/25/2010

Judges

Court

• California Court of Appeal

Counsel

• For Appellees:
  
• Seyfarth Shaw, Gilmore F. Diekmann, Jr., Raymond R. Kepner, Todd C. Hunt and Michael D. Mandel for Defendant and Appellant., Shanberg Stafford, Ross E. Shanberg, Shane C. Stafford;  Quest Law Firm and Robert C. Robinson for Plaintiffs and Respondents.