Legal Opinion
Choate v. County of Orange
California Court of Appeal
Decided January 17, 2001No. G020621PublishedCited by 34 opinions
1Opinion of the Court
Opinion
CROSBY, J.
A lion produced a mouse. A seven-week jury trial in a lawsuit seeking hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages resulted in a verdict that a single sheriff’s deputy committed a civil rights violation, with an award of $3,380 in compensatory and $1,000 in punitive damages.
Plaintiffs sought almost $250,000 in attorney fees for achieving this victory, which was pyrrhic in every respect save the potential of the fee request. But the court went beyond a mere denial. Acting under the misconception that turnabout is fair play, it awarded nearly the same amount (some $240,000) for…
2Cases cited46 opinions
- Monell v. New York City Dept. of Social Servs.Supreme Court of the United States · 1978
- Hensley v. EckerhartSupreme Court of the United States · 1983
- Board of the County Commissioners of Bryan County v. BrownSupreme Court of the United States · 1997
- Pembaur v. City of CincinnatiSupreme Court of the United States · 1986
- Rizzo v. GoodeSupreme Court of the United States · 1976
41 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.
3Cited by34 opinions
- Harman v. City and County of San FranciscoCalifornia Court of Appeal · 2007
- Contreras v. DowlingCalifornia Court of Appeal · 2016
- IIG Wireless, Inc. v. Yi, California Court of Appeal, 5th District2018
- Harman v. City and County of San FranciscoCalifornia Court of Appeal · 2006
- AREI II CasesCalifornia Court of Appeal · 2013
29 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.