Slaughter & Reagan defended a claim brought against Surfside III Condominium Owners Association by resident and local bankruptcy lawyer, Susan Salehi. When Ms. Salehi dismissed several causes of action voluntarily on the eve of trial, Surfside III filed a motion to recover its attorneys’ fees. The trial court denied the motion and Surfside III appealed. The Court of Appeal reversed the trial court’s decision and indicated it had abused its discretion. Surfside III is now filing a motion to recover all of the attorneys’ fees incurred in the defense of the case which are in excess of $200,000.00.
The Salehi case was litigated at the same time as Lewow v. Surfside III Condominium Owners Association, et al. In that action, the Association prevailed at trial andt was awarded in excess of $300,000.00 in attorneys’ fees and costs. Lewow was also represented by Susan Salehi. Lewow has appealed.
The results in both the Lewow and Salehi cases establish that filing and prosecuting cases devoid of merit bear significant consequences for the plaintiffs.