Opinion ID: 1604758
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Trial Court's Determination of the Multiplier

Text: The City argues next that the multiplier established by the trial court was excessive. Such a determination is, once again, a matter we generally leave to the trial court's discretion, see, e.g., Ex parte Edwards, 601 So.2d 82, 85 (Ala. 1992), especially where, as here, the trial court has fully explained its reasoning in its order. In our review of the trial court's order, we are mindful of the 12 factors set forth in previous cases in which we have been confronted with the question of attorney fees. See Union Fid., 781 So.2d at 192(quoting Edelman & Combs, 663 So.2d at 960 (summarizing 12 factors first enunciated by this Court in Peebles v. Miley, 439 So.2d 137, 140-41 (Ala.1983))). The factor that concerns us most is the benefit to the client received from the hours expended. The City contends that the multiplier of 2 should be reduced because, it says, a substantial portion of counsel's hours were expended pursuing fee litigation rather than the litigation that provided the substantive benefits of the original case. The history of this case indicates that the attorney-fee litigation began immediately after the Jefferson Circuit Court approved a settlement between the parties regarding the placement of the solid-waste facility. While the law clearly allows for a fee award with respect to those hours, see note 3, supra, we do not consider this time to be vital to the true purpose of the litigation, which was to enhance the due-process rights of Birmingham residents and to prevent the placement of a solid-waste transportation facility in a particular location. Many of the factors set forth in previous decisions by this Court with respect to attorney-fee awards are intended primarily to be applied to the circumstances attendant to the nature of the representation, not attorney-fee litigation. We recognize, however, that some of the factors, such as those pertaining to questions of local compensatory customs, are proper for a court to consider in fee-litigation cases. Nevertheless, the number of hours in this case expended only on fee litigation is so great that we believe the trial court abused its discretion by determining a multiplier of 2. Considering the benefits conferred on the plaintiffs, the time expended on the entire litigation (including the attorney-fee litigation), and the trial court's finding regarding the complexity of this case and counsel's performance, we conclude that a multiplier of 1.5 is warranted. We apply this figure, however, only to those hours expended by plaintiffs' counsel in succeeding in the primary purpose of the litigation, which was to win the enaction of a new city ordinance and to increase due-process protection for Birmingham residents. As best we can discern, the hours expended in those efforts total 2,024. In calculating this portion of counsel's fee, using a 1.5 multiplier, we conclude that plaintiffs' counsel are entitled to a fee of $455,400 for this part of their services. [5] As for their work on matters not essential to the result obtained as a part of their representation, we find that plaintiffs' counsel expended 3,765.95 hours. Because these hours did not directly pertain to the benefit obtained in the Horn litigation, we believe that as to those hours the application of a multiplier is unwarranted. Therefore, in calculating the fee as to these hours, we conclude that, for this portion of their work, plaintiffs' counsel are entitled to a fee of $564,892this figure is arrived at by multiplying the number of hours devoted to this aspect of the case (3,765.95) by the $150 hourly rate. Thus, the total unadjusted fee to which plaintiffs' counsel are entitled equals $1,020,290.50, the sum of the two separately determined fee awards. When we subtract the $250,000 interim attorney fee awarded in this case, we determine that plaintiffs' counsel are fairly and reasonably entitled to a fee award of $770,292.50.