Published Appellate Decision: Reynolds v. Ford Motor Co. (2020) 47 Cal.App.5th 1105

After settling this Ford 6.0 diesel engine case with another firm, Ford appealed the attorneys’ fees the trial court awarded the consumer. We represented the consumer on appeal. Ford argued that it was necessary for the consumer to reveal the contingency retainer agreement he had with his lemon law attorneys so that the trial court could award a reasonable amount of attorneys fees taking the contingency arrangement into account. Ford basically was asking for a discount on the amount of attorneys’ fees it had to pay if the law firm was already taking a percentage of the consumer’s recovery. The Court of Appeal disagreed. A consumer can agree to a contingency agreement with his attorneys, but that does not affect the attorneys’ fees Ford has to pay under California’s lemon law and consumer protection statutes.