Judge Awards $3.5 Million in Fees to Worker's Attorneys

A Los Angeles judge approved attorney's fees for the plaintiff's law firm after a jury verdict in a workplace case against Liberty Mutual Insurance Company.

Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Human Resources

Judge Awards $3.5 Million in Fees to Worker's Attorneys

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A Los Angeles Superior Court judge awarded more than $3.5 million in attorney's fees to the employee's law firm in Slagel v. Liberty Mutual Insurance Company. The court left $20 million in emotional distress damages standing while striking an $83 million punitive damages award.

Why it matters

The ruling reduces the total monetary exposure for the employer, which faces about $23.5 million in combined awards and fees. It also sets a reference point for hourly rates billed by lawyers in Los Angeles employment litigation.

The court approved $3.5 million of the $9.7 million in fees requested by plaintiff's counsel, with hourly rates up to $1,700 for lead lawyers and $1,000 for a junior lawyer admitted in 2025. Whether the employer will appeal the fee award or the surviving damages has not been reported.

The players

Liberty Mutual Insurance Company

Liberty Mutual is a large multinational insurance company headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, and is the defendant in the Slagel case.

The details

The court approved fee rates based largely on the lawyers' self-assessments and found them consistent with fee awards in similar recent Los Angeles cases. The judge left the $20 million emotional distress award in place but struck the $83 million punitive damages award from the jury verdict.

A junior lawyer admitted to the bar in 2025 was approved at $1,000 per hour shortly before the trial commenced.
The Los Angeles Superior Court has recently awarded over $3.5 million in attorney's fees in the case.

Human Resources Landscape

The ruling follows the pattern of California courts scrutinizing punitive damages in employment disputes while upholding large emotional distress awards. Employers in Los Angeles face continued exposure to high plaintiff fee claims as hourly rates for specialized employment litigators rise.

Employers in Los Angeles can face large combined awards and attorney's fees in workplace suits, which affects how they budget for litigation risk. Employees pursuing similar claims should expect courts to scrutinize fee requests against prevailing local rates.

The takeaway

Large employment verdicts can be reshaped significantly on post-trial review, particularly for punitive damages and attorney's fees. Both employers and employees should track how these post-trial rulings change the final financial outcome.