Source: http://www.rmmenvirolaw.com/tag/attorney-fees-and-costs/
Timestamp: 2017-07-22 14:56:29
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Attorney Fees and Costs « RMM Enviro Law
Posts Tagged ‘Attorney Fees and Costs’
Despite Being a “Successful Party,” Real Party in Interest Denied Attorneys’ Fee Award by Fourth District
May 1st, 2017 by Christina Berglund
In Save our Heritage Organisation v. City of San Diego (2017) ___Cal App.5th___ (Case No. D070006), the Fourth District Court of Appeal upheld a trial court’s denial of a Code of Civil Procedure section 1025.1 attorneys’ fee award to the prevailing real party in interest.
On the merits, the court of appeal found that the City of San Diego had not abused its discretion when it approved a revitalization project for Balboa Park. Real party then filed a motion in superior court for an award of attorney fees, which the court denied.
The Fourth District concluded that a real party’s status as a project proponent did not categorically bar it from obtaining a section 1025.1 attorney fees award where it otherwise satisfied the award’s requirements. Nevertheless, the court upheld the denial of the fee award to real party holding that petitioner was not the type of party on whom attorney fees were intended to be imposed. The court stated that attorney fees were typically only imposed on parties who had engaged in conduct that had adversely affected the public interest. The court found that the petitioner initiated litigation to correct what it perceived to be a violation by the city of state and local environmental, historic preservation, and land use laws, which did not compromise any important public rights. Rather, it was the type of enforcement action section 1021.5 was designed to promote. Thus, the court held that imposing a fee award on the petitioner would be inappropriate.
Tags: Attorney Fees and Costs	Fourth District Court of Appeal Denies Motion for Attorneys’ Fees Finding Petitioner Was Not the Catalyst for City’s Revocation of Land Use Entitlements
July 16th, 2015 by Gwynne Hunter
Coalition for a Sustainable Future in Yucaipa v. City of Yucaipa (July 6, 2015) __ Cal.App.4th __, Case No. E57589.
A petitioner group challenged the City of Yucaipa’s certification of an EIR and approval of land use entitlements for a Target shopping center project. The project was to be developed on land owned by Palmer General Corporation. The trial court denied the petition and petitioner appealed. That appeal became moot when both Target and the landowner abandoned the project due to a contract dispute, which caused the city to revoke the entitlements. The Court of Appeal directed that the order below be reversed with directions to dismiss the action with prejudice due to mootness. After the trial court dismissed the action as directed, petitioner brought a motion for attorneys’ fees under Code of Civil Procedure section 1021.5, asserting the petition was the catalyst for the city’s action to revoke the entitlements—the relief petitioner had sought at trial. The trial court denied the motion and petitioner appealed again. The Court of Appeal affirmed, finding petitioner’s action was not the catalyst for the city’s actions.
A party seeking attorneys’ fees under Code of Civil Procedure section 1021.5 must first show it is a “successful party.” It is not necessary to achieve a favorable final judgment so long as the petitioner’s actions were the “catalyst” for the defendant’s actions. More specifically, the catalyst theory permits an award of fees absent judicial resolution if the defendant changes its behavior substantially because of, and in the manner sought by, the litigation. To obtain attorneys’ fees under this theory, a plaintiff must establish that (1) the lawsuit was a catalyst motivating the defendants to provide the primary relief sought; (2) the lawsuit had merit and achieved its catalytic effect by threat of victory, not by dint of nuisance and threat of expense; and (3) the plaintiffs reasonably attempted to settle the litigation prior to filing the lawsuit. To satisfy the first prong, a petitioner need not show that litigation was the only cause of respondent’s acquiescence, only that it was a substantial factor.
Here, the court found that evidence supported the trial court’s finding that petitioner’s action was not a substantial factor contributing to the entitlement revocation.
First, before the land use entitlements were revoked, the trial court had denied the petition, which was a win for the city. Petitioner did not prevail, but instead appealed the judgment. Filing an appeal from the adverse judgment did not convert the unsuccessful action into a meritorious one. And the court’s direction to dismiss the action with prejudice on remand was not a favorable outcome. The court noted that none of the cases applying the catalyst theory involved situations in which an adverse judgment had already been rendered against the party seeking attorneys’ fees. Thus, having lost twice, petitioner could not show that it had prevailed by “threat of victory.”
Second, the city did not change its behavior substantially because of, and in the manner sought by,the litigation. The city had been successful in defending the CEQA action and did not revoke the entitlements for any reason related to the EIR or the CEQA violations alleged by petitioner. Rather, the city revoked the entitlements because the developer and the landowner had both abandoned the project due to a contract dispute. Petitioner could not demonstrate a nexus between the merits of its action and the city’s revocation of the entitlements. Therefore, the action was not the catalyst for the revocation and petitioner was not entitled to attorneys’ fees.
Tags: Attorney Fees and Costs	Reasonably necessary attorney and paralegal time recoverable as costs of preparing the record of proceeding
Tags: Administrative Record, Attorney Fees and Costs	Unpublished Court of Appeal Decision Holds Rival Theater Owners Cannot Recover Attorney’s Fees Under Private Attorney General Doctrine
January 16th, 2014 by Gwynne Hunter
Tags: Attorney Fees and Costs	Fourth District Upholds EIR Prepared for Boutique Winery Ordinance, But Holds Certain Transcript Costs Not Recoverable as Record Costs
The Fourth District recently ordered publication of its decision in San Diego Citizenry Group v. County of San Diego (July 30, 2013, Case No. D059962) __Cal.App.4th__. The Fourth District upheld the trial court’s decision rejecting a challenge to the adequacy of the county’s EIR, which analyzed a zoning ordinance intended to encourage the development of boutique wineries. But the appellate court determined the trial court had erred in awarding the county the costs of preparing planning commission transcripts for the administrative record because these transcripts were not in existence at the time of the board of supervisors’ approval of the ordinance.
This case arises from the County of San Diego’s efforts to promote the growth of grapes and the expansion of the wine industry. In 2006, the board of supervisors began exploring ways to allow boutique wineries to expand and operate by right within the county. The county received public comments revealing concerns about traffic and related traffic safety impacts, especially on privately owned rural roads. Nonetheless, in 2008, the board directed its staff to develop a “tiered winery ordinance” that would allow boutique wineries by-right.
In 2009, the county prepared and circulated for public review a Draft EIR analyzing the potential environmental impacts of adopting the winery ordinance. The DEIR concluded that the project would cause 22 significant and unmitigated environmental impacts as a result of approving an unlimited number of future wineries by-right. Despite these impacts, the board adopted a Final EIR and a statement of overriding considerations in 2010. San Diego Citizenry Group filed a petition for writ of mandate challenging certification of the EIR. The Group requested that the county prepare the administrative record.
The trial court denied the petition and ordered the petitioner to reimburse the county for the costs of preparing the record. San Diego Citizenry Group appealed.
The project objectives were proper.
On appeal, the petitioner argued that the county did not properly make a “preliminary policy determination” regarding the objectives for the project, and in particular, that the EIR improperly relied on these objectives when analyzing the feasibility of mitigation measures. But the court quickly dispensed with this argument, noting that the county included within the EIR a “statement of the objectives sought by the proposed project” in compliance with CEQA Guidelines section 15124. In fact, the county defined nine objectives for adopting its proposed ordinance amendment.
Adequacy of discussion and mitigation of impacts to private roads
Next, the petitioner argued the EIR was inadequate because it did not discuss “any ‘additional’ mitigation measures in ‘meaningful detail.’” But the court noted that the petitioner failed to identify any potentially feasible mitigation measures that the EIR omitted. The county was not required to engage in an extensive discussion of infeasible mitigation measures, including mitigation measures that are incompatible with the project’s “core” objectives. Requiring the county to analyze the incorporation of mitigation measures or alternatives that would defeat a project’s primary objectives would run contrary to CEQA’s definition of “feasible.”
The petitioner also attacked the adequacy of the EIR’s discussion of impacts to private roads caused by the ordinance because the EIR rejected a mitigating traffic measure previously adopted in 2008. But the court determined that the county was not required to adopt the 2008 traffic measure simply because it was suggested and addressed impacts identified in the EIR. An agency may delete previously adopted mitigation during review of a project so long as it states a legitimate reason for doing so. The court determined the county had a legitimate reason for not adopting the 2008 measure because it was developed for a completely different project involving private landowner agreements, rather than by-right uses. Furthermore, the FEIR included mitigation measures, such as limitations on the size of vehicles allowed to enter boutique wineries and various restrictions on operations at the wineries, which specifically addressed these impacts to private roads.
The EIR adequately discussed potential environmental impacts
The petitioner argued that the EIR did not sufficiently analyze the project’s potential significant environmental impacts for a variety of reasons.
Focusing on potential future impacts to traffic, appellants first argued that the EIR analysis was insufficient because the county did not use its “best efforts” to predict how many by-right wineries could be developed under the ordinance. But the court noted that the EIR did not “simply state that the level of development is unknown and then label each impact as significant without meaningful analysis or discussion.” The county based a prediction of future boutique winery development on the pattern of development of existing grape growers and wineries. The county had surveyed 26 existing wineries, eleven of which responded, with eight indicating an intention to convert to boutique wineries under the proposed ordinance. The FEIR analyzed the amount of traffic each new boutique winery would generate and determined the maximum concentration of wineries that could be developed. Therefore, the court found the FEIR adequately analyzed the project’s traffic impacts based on existing and anticipated development.
Second, the petitioner argued that the EIR did not sufficiently identify project impacts to water supplies. But the court disagreed, noting that the FEIR met the standard under Vineyard Area Citizens for Responsible Growth v. City of Rancho Cordova (2007) 40 Cal.4th 412, that “a conceptual plan EIR, such as one for a general plan amendment to allow proposed development,” must identify “the likely source of water for new development, noting the uncertainties involved, and discussing measures being taken to address the situation in the foreseeable future.” The county also collected survey data from wineries located in San Diego and Riverside counties to better estimate impacts on water supplies. This was sufficient.
Third, the petitioner argued the FEIR’s discussion of grading permits was “materially misleading” because it suggested grading permits could mitigate for “every type of environmental impact associated with the winery.” Determining that the FEIR actually acknowledged the exact opposite, the court rejected this argument.
Fourth, the petitioner argued that the board of supervisors’ statement of overriding considerations was invalid because the FEIR was deficient and did not provide a basis for the findings. But the court determined the EIR actually relied on conservative assumptions and disclosed potential environmental impacts in an informative matter. Thus, the board was within its discretion to rely on the EIR when it adopted the statement of overriding considerations.
Fifth, the petitioner argued that the ordinance was inconsistent with the county’s general plan. Specifically, the petitioner argued the ordinance allowed by-right wineries in environmentally constrained areas for which the general plan requires environmental review of development projects. The court found, however, that an EIR is not required to be consistent with a general plan; instead, the EIR must identify and discuss any such inconsistencies. The EIR in this case sufficiently discussed the alleged inconstancy, and the petitioner could not show that the county’s decision to exclude wineries from the environmentally constrained area provisions of the general plan was “unreasonable.”
Reimbursement for transcript costs
Finally, the Court of Appeal concluded that the trial court had erred when it ordered the petitioner to reimburse the county for the cost of preparing certain transcripts for the record since the transcripts were not created until after the approval of the winery ordinance. Section 21167.6, subdivision (e)(4) requires the party preparing the record to include transcripts or minutes “that were presented to the decisionmaking body prior to action on environmental documents or on the project.” The trial court had ordered appellants to pay approximately $6,000 for the costs of creating transcripts of planning commission hearings, but appellants successfully argued that they should not have to pay these costs because it was undisputed that the planning commission transcripts were not before the board when it made its decision to approve the winery ordinance.
Tags: Adequacy of Mitigation, Attorney Fees and Costs	First District Holds That Air District’s Adoption of Significance Thresholds for Greenhouse Gas Emissions Is Not a CEQA Project and Does Not Require an EIR
In California Building Industry Association v. Bay Area Air Quality Management District (August 13, 2013, Case No. A136212) ___ Cal.App.4th ___, the First District Court of Appeal reversed a trial court’s decision striking down the Bay Area Air Quality Management District’s (BAAQMD’s) CEQA thresholds of significance for greenhouse gas emissions. The appellate court held that CEQA does not require BAAQMD to prepare an environment impact report (EIR) before adopting “thresholds of significance” to assist in the determination of whether air emissions of proposed projects might be deemed “significant.” On June 2, 2010, BAAQMD adopted CEQA thresholds of significance for greenhouse gas emissions. The thresholds also set standards for impacts related to toxic air contaminants (TACs) and very small particulate matter (PM2.5). The thresholds were adopted pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15064.7, which encourages agencies to “develop and publish thresholds of significance” for “general use as part of the lead agency’s environmental review process.” The section further mandates that the thresholds be “adopted by ordinance, resolution, rule, or regulation, and developed through a public review process and be supported by substantial evidence.”
The First District Court of Appeal reversed, reasoning that (1) the district’s adoption of thresholds was not a “project” within the meaning of CEQA and (2) there were no reasonably foreseeable impacts associated with this action. CEQA defines a project as any activity “which may cause either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment.” (Pub. Res. Code, § 21065.) The appellate court concluded that the adoption of thresholds was not a project. BAAQMD relied on CEQA Guidelines section 15064.7 in promulgating the thresholds. The court explained that section 15064.7 establishes the procedures for adopting thresholds in some detail, and CEQA review is not part of that procedure. Section 15064.7, subdivision (b), provides that thresholds of significance must be formally adopted through a public review process and supported by substantial evidence if, as in this case, they are to be placed in general use. The agency accepted public comments and responded to comments. Striking an uncommon tone, the court concluded that this process was substantially similar to the EIR process and that requiring more would be a duplicative effort and a waste of tax dollars.
The court noted in any event, the action was not a “project” because the activity would not cause a direct physical change in the environment or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change. (Pub. Res. Code, § 21065; CEQA Guidelines, § 15378, subd. (a).) CBIA argued that impacts were reasonably foreseeable because the thresholds were more stringent than earlier thresholds and would require a more thorough environmental analysis; as a result, the CEQA process would become more burdensome, making urban development less desirable and leading to more suburban development with all its attendant impacts including traffic and air quality impacts. The court was not persuaded, instead reasoning that the analysis posited by CBIA included many assumptions and a great deal of speculation because “the extent to which land development projects might be relocated to a more suburban location would require a prescience we cannot reasonably demand of the [BAAQMD].” The court, therefore, concluded that no CEQA review was required before BAAQMD promulgated the thresholds.
In its petition for writ of mandate, CBIA raised several challenges to the substance of the thresholds that were not decided by the trial court. Though CBIA failed to cross-appeal, the appellate court agreed to consider the other two issues. First, CBIA argued that the standards were inappropriate in any event because they evaluated the effects of the environment on sensitive receptors as part of the project; this is contrary, it argued to the purpose of CEQA, which is to protect the environment from proposed projects, not protect the proposed projects from the existing environment. The court cited a long line of cases for this proposition, including the recent Ballona Wetlands Land Trust v. City of Los Angeles (2011) 201 Cal.App.4th 455. The court did not address whether Ballona, et al., were correctly decided, or whether, as a general rule, an EIR may be required solely because the existing environment may adversely affect future occupants of a project. Instead, finding CBIA’s claim that the receptor thresholds were unauthorized by CEQA analogous to a claim a statute or regulation is unconstitutional on its face, the court held that the regulations were not facially invalid because they were relevant for purposes other than determining the effects of the environment on the project. The court also suggested that continuing vitality of Ballona, et al., was better reserved for a case in which the receptor thresholds were actually applied to a project. As to the second CBIA challenge not ruled on by the trial court, the First District concluded that BAAQMD’s TAC Single-Source and Cumulative Thresholds were supported by substantial evidence and upheld them. In reversing the trial court’s judgment in CBIA’s favor and declining to grant the relief CBIA sought on the issues not resolved by the trial court, the court of appeal also reversed the substantial attorney’s fees award, concluding the industry association was no longer the successful party under Code of Civil Procedure Section 1021.5.
Tags: Attorney Fees and Costs, GHG emissions, Project Subject to CEQA, thresholds of significance	Second District Court of Appeal Confirms Public Entity Litigant’s Non-pecuniary Interests Irrelevant in Evaluating Award of Attorneys’ Fees under California Code of Civil Procedure Section 1021.5
On July 18, 2012, the Second District Court of Appeal certified its ruling for partial publication in City of Maywood v. Los Angeles Unified School District (2012) __Cal.App.4th__ (Case No. B233739). In this case, the City of Maywood sought to overturn the Los Angeles Unified School District’s (LAUSD) certification of an FEIR analyzing the environmental consequences of constructing a high school. The trial court rejected most of the city’s claims, but found the FEIR deficient in four ways, including inadequate analysis of pedestrian safety. The trial court entered a peremptory writ and awarded attorneys’ fees to Maywood. The LAUSD appealed. The appellate court rejected most claims against the FEIR, but agreed, in an unpublished section, that further analysis of pedestrian safety impacts was required. In the only published section of its decision, the Second District clarified the proper test for determining whether the prevailing party was entitled to attorneys’ fees.
The trial court awarded Maywood approximately $670,000 in attorney’s fees pursuant to Code of Civil Procedure § 1021.5. On appeal, LAUSD argued that Maywood could not recover fees because the “primary purpose” of the lawsuit was to benefit Maywood “whether for financial or other reasons.” To obtain attorneys’ fees under § 1021.5, the party seeking the fees must show that the litigation (1) served to vindicate an important public right; (2) conferred a significant benefit on the general public or a large class of persons; and (3) was necessary and imposed a financial burden on plaintiffs which was out of proportion to their individual stake in the matter. Each of these elements must be satisfied for an award to issue.
The appellate court relied on the California Supreme Court’s decision in Conservatorship of Whitley (2010) 50 Cal.4th 1214 to clarify the method for evaluating the necessity and financial burden element of § 1021.5. The Supreme Court determined “the necessity and financial burden of private enforcement” requirement is actually comprised of two distinct elements: a necessity prong and a financial burden prong. The court held “a strong nonfinancial motivation does not change or alleviate the ‘financial burden’ that a litigant bears. Only offsetting pecuniary gains can do that.” Further, the Supreme Court noted that the legislative history for §1021.5 did not focus on the litigants’ initial subjective motivation, but rather, was intended to alleviate the financial burdens associated with public interest litigation. Lastly, the Supreme Court explained that determining whether a particular non-pecuniary interest was sufficient to preclude recovery of attorneys’ fees would require speculative inquiry lacking in objective criteria.
While the holding in Whitley focused on private enforcement actions, the Second District Court of Appeal determined that all of the factors the Supreme Court discussed in Whitley apply equally to public entity litigants. The legislative history for § 1021.5 indicated that the Legislature intended the same requirements to apply to private and public litigants. The appellate court also rejected a substantial portion of LAUSD’s argument for relying on cases preceding Whitley. Whitley has made it clear that a litigant’s non-pecuniary interests are not relevant in evaluating § 1021.5’s financial burden criterion.
The appellate court indicated that, due to reversing significant portions of the trial court’s order, it also had to reverse the order granting attorneys’ fees because any grant or denial of attorneys’ fees under § 1021.5 must follow remand and be based on the results obtained in the new judgment. The trial court was directed to reassess whether fees were appropriate after the outcome of the appeal, and if so, the appropriate amount of any such fees, applying the standards in Whitley. (By John Wheat)
Tags: Attorney Fees and Costs	Fifth District Holds EIR Inadequate for Using Future Baseline Traffic Conditions, Failure to Address Water Supply Issues, and Inadequate Mitigation for Cultural Resources Impacts