Opinion ID: 2595464
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Complexity

Text: Cole challenges the superior court's determination that enhanced fees were warranted because Cole's claims increased the complexity of the case. [20] In particular, the superior court found that Cole heightened the complexity by bringing in State Farm and Bourque as third-party defendants on claims that lacked factual support: The litigation actions of Ms. Cole increased the attorney's fees to the Bartels by involving other defendants on theories that were not adequately investigated or believable in order to blame others for her conscious decision not to disclose the defect in the house to the Bartels[es]. These conclusions are not erroneous. Cole's third-party claim against Bourque substantially increased the amount of pleading and motion practice. The Bartelses were forced to monitor actively the substantial body of pleadings generated by these third-party claims and to adjust litigation strategies accordingly. Therefore, the superior court did not abuse its discretion in this regard.