Garcia
Garcia v. Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC
Opinion
lead Opinion
Hoffstadt, J.
A few weeks later, the trial court entered a judgment dismissing Garcia's lawsuit with prejudice. Garcia thereafter filed this timely appeal.
DISCUSSION
Garcia argues that the trial court erred in denying her attorney's fees and costs. Mercedes-Benz asserts that we need not reach these questions because the trial court's denial order is not appealable. We address the appealability question first.
*1264 I. Appealability
Mercedes-Benz contends that we are without jurisdiction to entertain Garcia's appeal from the trial court's order denying attorney's fees and costs because it is an interim order prior to judgment that is outside our appellate jurisdiction. We independently review questions regarding our own jurisdiction. ( California Redevelopment Assn. v. Matosantos (2011) 53 Cal.4th 231 , 252, 135 Cal.Rptr.3d 683 , 267 P.3d 580 .)
As a general rule, we may only entertain appeals from final judgments. ( Code Civ. Proc., § 904.1, subd. (a).) This rule is designed " 'to prevent piecemeal dispositions and costly multiple appeals.' [Citation.]" ( Howeth v. Coffelt (2017) 18 Cal.App.5th 126 , 133-134, 226 Cal.Rptr.3d 773 .) One corollary of this "one final judgment" rule is that "…