Arave

*529 Plaintiff and appellant, J. Brent Arave, brought several claims under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) ( Gov. Code, § 12900 et seq. ) against his former employers, Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith, Inc. (Merrill Lynch), Bank of America (BoA), his supervisor Joseph Holsinger, and a human resources supervisor, Katherine Anderson (collectively, defendants). He sought to recover damages caused by discrimination, harassment, and retaliation based on his membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He also sought damages for nonpayment of wages ( Lab. Code, § 201 ) and whistleblower retaliation ( Lab. Code, § 1102.5 ).

After a five-week trial, the jury returned a verdict in favor of defendants on all counts that had survived summary judgment and dismissal. The trial court *530 denied Arave's posttrial motions and awarded defendants, as prevailing parties, $54,545.18 in costs, $29,097.50 in expert witness fees, and $97,500 in attorney fees incurred defending against Arave's wage claim.

Arave appeals the verdict and the award of fees and costs. He maintains:

Defendants cross-appeal, contending the trial court abused its discretion when…