Family Law Courts Can Deny Need Based Attorney Fees as a Sanction for Bad Conduct

Intersection of need based attorney fees and sanctions.
Recently I posted regarding the two different types of attorney fee awards available in family law courts in California: need based and sanction based. Read the article here: https://lnkd.in/gKdYifpS

In a recent family law matter, the trial court denied a party need-based attorney fees under Family Code § 2030 after finding that the requesting party had over litigated the case. The Court of Appeal affirmed on the ground that substantial evidence supported the trial court’s ruling. (In re Marriage of Nakamoto and Hsu (Cal. App. 4th Dist., Div. 3, June 2, 2022) 79Cal. App..5th 457.)   #familylaw #divorce #attorneyfees