CJ Freshway America Corporation v. Lim CA2/8

INTRODUCTION

A jury found defendants Minho Lim, Ki Soon Seo, N9 Int’l Trading, Inc. (N9), and Kaldea, Inc. (Kaldea) (collectively, defendants) liable for, among other things, receiving stolen property belonging to plaintiff CJ Freshway America Corporation (Freshway). The jury found Lim, N9, and Kaldea jointly and severally liable for over $1.5 million in damages and Seo liable for over $900,000 in damages. After entering judgment in Freshway’s favor, the court awarded the company over $1 million in attorney fees. Defendants appeal from the judgment and the postjudgment attorney fee award. They raise several claims of error arising out of the jury trial, and they argue the court abused its discretion in calculating the amount of Freshway’s attorney fee award. We have consolidated both appeals for purposes of oral argument and decision. As we explain, all of defendants’ arguments lack merit. Accordingly, we affirm the judgment and the fee award.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

1. The parties Freshway is headquartered in Los Angeles. The company imports food from overseas and sells it throughout the United States. Seo is Lim’s mother. Seo formed Kaldea in 2017. She was Kaldea’s…