Rodriguez
Rodriguez v. Barrita, Inc.
Opinion
Lead Opinion
Seeborg, J.
ORDER ON PLAINTIFF’S MOTION FOR ATTORNEY FEES AND COSTS
I. INTRODUCTION
In this disability access case, prevailing plaintiff Armando Rodriguez seeks *1277 $1,444,513.84 in attorney fees, litigation expenses, and costs from defendants Barrita Inc., Nicandro Barrita, ENS Associates, and Masoud Shahidi. More specifically, he requests $763,691 for “merits” (i.e., through the end of trial) attorney fees, $50,125 in post-trial attorney fees, and $248,671.84 in litigation expenses and costs. Plaintiff also seeks a 1.5x multiplier on the merits fees, adding $381,846 to his overall request. Defendants agree that Rodriguez is entitled to fees and costs, but they argue he seeks too much. In defendants’ estimation, plaintiff is entitled to $391,770.50 in attorney fees and $17,991.74 in taxable costs and expenses. Unsurprisingly, the appropriate amount falls somewhere along the million-dollar spectrum between the parties’ requests. For the reasons explained below, plaintiff is entitled to $584,805.60 in attorney fees and $173,348.29 in costs and litigation expenses, resulting in a total award of $758,153.89.