Opinion ID: 1376262
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Rebutting the Prima Facie Case

Text: As previously noted, Cadle submitted an affidavit by Timothy Taber in response to Hinkle's motion, incorporating by reference two of Cadle's answers to Hinkle's interrogatories. The trial court struck Taber's affidavit insofar as it offered expert opinion and then concluded that [u]nrebutted expert legal opinion established that Hinkle's fees were reasonable. The trial court apparently believed that expert testimony was necessary to raise an issue of fact as to the reasonableness or unreasonableness of an attorney's fee. Consequently, not only did it refuse to consider Taber's affidavit insofar as it purported to express expert opinion, but it also refused to consider the affidavit and the answers to interrogatories attached to it as nonexpert testimonial and documentary evidence. The trial court erred to the extent it believed expert testimony is always necessary to create a genuine issue of fact concerning the reasonableness of attorney's fees. As a general rule,  any one sufficiently familiar with the commercial value of services may testify to the value of those services. 3 John H. Wigmore, Evidence in Trials at Common Law § 715, at 52 (rev. ed. 1970); see also 2 Stuart M. Speiser, Attorneys' Fees § 18:14 (1973) (testimony of expert witness is generally not essential on question of value of legal services). When the issue concerns the value of professional services, such as legal services, some courts hold that only a member of the particular profession is sufficiently familiar; other courts disagree. Wigmore, supra, § 715, at 52. Taber was sufficiently familiar with the commercial value of Hinkle's legal services to testify on the alleged unreasonableness of Hinkle's charges. As noted, Taber is the Vice President and General Counsel of Cadle. Taber testified in his affidavit that since 1989 he had reviewed invoices from approximately 100 outside counsel for Cadle, including four New Mexico firms (excluding Hinkle). He also stated that he was familiar with Hinkle's representation of Cadle and had reviewed Hinkle's invoices. This knowledge made Taber qualified to testify as to the unreasonableness of the fees, notwithstanding the trial court's finding that Taber was not competent to offer expert testimony. We further hold that Taber's affidavit, when considered with the answers to interrogatories, rebutted Hinkle's prima facie case and raised a genuine issue of fact on the reasonableness of the fees. The answers to interrogatories identified the specific charges that Cadle found objectionable and gave various reasons why Cadle objected to those charges. These objections were sufficiently detailed to raise a question of fact concerning the reasonableness of Hinkle's fees. Accordingly, the trial court erred in granting summary judgment to Hinkle on its complaint.