Judge: Kevin C. Brazile, Case: 24STCP04093, Date: 2025-03-04 Tentative Ruling

Hearing Date: March 4, 2025

Case Name: Lopez v. FCA US LLC, et al.

Case No.: 23STCV18678

Matter: Motion for Attorneys’ Fees and Costs

Moving Party: Plaintiff Christian Lopez

Responding Party: Defendant FCA US LLC

Notice: OK

Ruling: The Motion is granted in part.

Moving party to give notice.

The Court encourages all parties to appear remotely via LA CourtConnect.  If submitting on the Court's tentative ruling, please follow the instructions provided above.

This is a lemon law matter.  Plaintiff Christian Lopez now seeks “(1) [ ] an Order entering Judgment against Defendants in favor of Plaintiff, in which attorneys’ fees pursuant to Civil Code section 1794(d) under the ‘lodestar’ method are awarded in the amount of $51,144.50 (Civ. Code § 1794(d).) Plaintiff has concurrently filed a costs memorandum which requests the amount of $3,442.41. Plaintiff is requesting a total of $54,586.91 for the entirety of Plaintiff’s attorneys’ fees, costs and expenses as the ‘prevailing party’ in this litigation.” 

Defendant FCA US LLC contends that the hours expended and hourly rates are excessive. 

Plaintiff’s counsel indicates: “ In all lemon law cases, I bill my time at rate of $695.00 per hour and bill managing attorney Christopher Urner at a rate of $525.00 per hour, attorney Adina Ostoia at a rate of $695.00, attorney Jorge L. Acosta bills at $350.00 per hour, attorney Sergo Aivazov bills at $300.00 per hour, and My firm’s law clerk, Evelyn Ghazarian bills at $250.00 per hour in all lemon law cases handled by my firm.”

The Court agrees that counsel’s rates are unreasonable.  The Court will reduce the hourly rate of Michael Saeedian from $695 to $500, the rate of Christopher Urner from $525 to $400, and the rate of Ostoia from $695 to $500.

The Court also finds that the total number of hours expended is unreasonable.  There was excessive time spent on memos, communications, discovery matters, and the instant Motion.  The Court will make a deduction of 9.9 hours from JLA, 3.3 hours from AO, and 4 hours from CU.  

In sum, the Motion is granted in part.  The Court awards $35,570 in fees and $3,442.41 in costs.

Moving party to give notice.