Opinion ID: 2173542
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: award of trial-level attorney's fees

Text: In the initial appeal of this case, the Court of Appeals determined that the trial court's award of trial-level attorney's fees to the Killingsworths was inadequate. The Court of Appeals therefore remanded this issue to the trial court with instructions to take certain factors into account. Upon the Killingsworths' second appeal from the trial court's award of $2,000 in trial-level attorney's fees, the Court of Appeals increased the award to $6,500. Ted Russell Ford now contends that the Court of Appeals thereby erred. We disagree. The Court of Appeals reviewed carefully the proof adduced concerning the award of fees as well as the trial court's responses thereto. The intermediate court determined that the evidence did not preponderate against the trial court's conclusion that the trial-level fees requested were excessive but also determined that the facts preponderated against the trial court's award of only $2,000. Accordingly, the Court of Appeals adjusted the award of trial-level fees after [a]pplying all the relevant factors in DR2-106 in light of the clear legislative intent of the TCPA. [3] Upon our review of the record and the relevant authority, we hold that the Court of Appeals committed no error in raising the award of trial-level fees from $2,000 to $6,500.