New Published Appellate Decision: Melendez v. Westlake Services, LLC (2022) 74 Cal.App.5th 586 (Los Angeles County)
The Court of Appeal affirmed the trial court’s order awarding Auto Fraud Legal Center $115,987.50 in attorney fees against Westlake Services, LLC, doing business as Westlake Financial Services. In this case, Westlake and the dealership that defrauded our client, Southgate Auto, fought this case for over two years, and then the dealership went out of business. The trial court granted our motion for attorney fees against Westlake and Westlake appealed. The Court of Appeal held that the FTC’s Holder Rule did not preclude a consumer’s recovery of attorney fees, costs, or prejudgment interest from the holder of the consumer’s vehicle purchase contract.