Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-casd-3_18-cv-02906/USCOURTS-casd-3_18-cv-02906-1/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 370
Nature of Suit: Other Fraud
Cause of Action: 28:1332 Diversity Action

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

JODY F. CHAMBERS,

Plaintiff,

Case No. 18-cv-2906-BAS-BGS

ORDER GRANTING PLAINTIFF’S 

MOTION FOR AWARD OF 

DAMAGES AND COSTS

[ECF No. 19]

v.

JOHN A KNIGHT,

Defendant.

On August 13, 2019, the Court granted in part and denied in part Plaintiff’s Motion 

for Default Judgment Against Defendant Knight. (ECF No. 16.) The Court granted default 

judgment on Plaintiff’s claim for the reasonable value of services rendered (Claim 6), but 

concluded it lacked sufficient information to calculate damages and therefore deferred the 

issue of damages, pre- and post-judgment interest and costs. (Id.)

Following this order, Plaintiff filed a detailed Motion for Award of Damages and 

Costs for Default Judgment on Claim 6 (ECF No. 19), as well as a Hearing Memorandum 

(ECF No. 22.) On January 7, 2020, the Court held an evidentiary hearing and took the 

testimony of Ms. Chambers. (ECF No. 23.)

Based on this testimony, as well as the exhibits filed in Plaintiff’s Motions, the Court 

GRANTS Plaintiff’s request for damages in the amount of $82,147.

1 The Court finds the 

 1 Plaintiff appears to round up the last bill for $8,647 to $9,000, but the Court declines to do so. Hence the 

Court awards $353 less than requested by Plaintiff.

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reasonable value of services Ms. Chambers provided to Mr. Knight between 2014 and 2018 

was $183,647, as follows: 

For services rendered in 2014: $10,000

For services rendered in 2015: $10,000

For services rendered in 2016: $72,500

For services rendered in 2017: $52, 500

For services rendered in 2018: $38,647

The Court further finds that Ms. Chambers was paid a total of $101,500 for these services, 

leaving an unpaid balance of $82,147. Furthermore, the Court awards costs in the amount 

of $655 for the costs of the filing fee and service of process costs on Mr. Knight.

Finally, the Court awards prejudgment interest at the rate of 7% per annum from the 

date the claim arose, or 30 days after Ms. Chambers rendered the services that were unpaid. 

(See ECF No. 19, pg. 124 detailing the date each claim arose). See Michelson v. Hamada, 

29 Cal. App. 4th 1566, 1585 (1994) (“the applicable legal rate of prejudgment interest for 

the compensation damages awarded under both the fraud and contract causes of action is 

7 percent”). The decision as to whether to grant prejudgment interest and whether to award 

compound prejudgment interest is one for the trier of fact. Id. at 1586–87. If awarded, 

prejudgment interest should run from the time the money was lost, “because the duty to 

compensate plaintiff for her losses arose then.” Id. (quotation omitted.)

In this case, Plaintiff incurred losses beginning in 2015. The request for prejudgment 

interest, beginning 30 days after an invoice was sent detailing the reasonable value of the 

services she had rendered, is a reasonable one. Hence the Court awards a total of 

$15,954.15 in prejudgment interest, calculated as indicated in the spread sheet attached as 

Table 1. The Court is not awarding any compound interest. 

Accordingly, judgment is entered in favor of Plaintiff and against Defendant Knight 

on Claim 6 in the amount of $82,147, plus prejudgment interest of $15,954.15 and costs of 

$655. The Court further awards post-judgment interest beginning from the date of this 

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Order at a rate of 7% per annum. The remaining counts against Defendant Knight are 

dismissed. The clerk is directed to close the case.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

DATED: January 8, 2020

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Invoice Date Unpaid 

Date

Balance 

Outstanding

Today's 

Date

Days 

Overdue

Annual 

Interest 

Rate

Total Simple 

Interest Rate

Prejudgment 

Interest 

Accrued

101 1/20/2015 2/20/2015 $ 5,000.00 1/8/2020 1783 7.00% 34.1945% $ 1,709.73

102 10/20/2015 11/20/2015 $ 5,000.00 1/8/2020 1510 7.00% 28.9589% $ 1,447.95

103 11/20/2015 12/21/2015 $ 5,000.00 1/8/2020 1479 7.00% 28.3644% $ 1,418.22

104 3/31/2016 5/1/2016 $ 5,000.00 1/8/2020 1347 7.00% 25.8329% $ 1,291.64

110 9/30/2016 10/31/2016 $ 5,500.00 1/8/2020 1164 7.00% 22.3233% $ 1,227.78

111 10/31/2016 12/1/2016 $ 7,500.00 1/8/2020 1133 7.00% 21.7288% $ 1,629.66

112 11/30/2016 12/31/2016 $ 7,500.00 1/8/2020 1103 7.00% 21.1534% $ 1,586.51

113 12/30/2016 1/30/2017 $ 7,500.00 1/8/2020 1073 7.00% 20.5781% $ 1,543.36

118 5/31/2017 7/1/2017 $ 7,500.00 1/8/2020 921 7.00% 17.6630% $ 1,324.73

120 7/31/2017 8/31/2017 $ 5,000.00 1/8/2020 860 7.00% 16.4932% $ 824.66

123 6/1/2018 7/2/2018 $ 10,000.00 1/8/2020 555 7.00% 10.6438% $ 1,064.38

124 6/22/2018 7/23/2018 $ 8,647.00 1/8/2020 534 7.00% 10.2411% $ 885.55

Sum $ 15,954.15

Table 1

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