N. Sonoma Cty. Healthcare Dist. v. County of Sonoma
This appeal involves attorney fees awarded under Code of Civil Procedure section 1021.5 (section 1021.5), arising out of environmental and land use challenges to the construction of a new hospital and medical office building in Santa Rosa.[1] The trial court granted in part, and denied in part, appellants’ motion for attorney fees, and awarded $56,459.16, which was considerably less than the $668,386 appellants had requested. On appeal, appellants claim the court abused its discretion in failing to “follow the settled law under Section 1021.5,†which would have resulted in an award of “fully [sic] compensatory attorneys’ fees†to appellants. Sutter has filed a cross-appeal challenging the trial court’s determination that appellants were successful parties as defined by section 1021.5, and therefore entitled to any attorney fees whatsoever.[2]
With respect to the cross-appeal, we find the trial court did not abuse its discretion in finding that appellants were entitled to attorney fees under section 1021.5. With respect to appellants’ challenge to the amount of attorney fees awarded, our review of the appellate record has located no instance in which the court failed to follow the applicable rules of law governing an award of attorney fees under section 1021.5. In addition, we conclude that the amount of the attorney fees awarded was within the range established by the discretionary authority granted to the court. As a result, we affirm the trial court’s order.
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