Attorney fee segregation requirement not necessarily enforced by the court

  
Opposing party may waive complaint about failure to segregate recoverable from unrecoverable fees by failing to object in a timely fashion


Because an award of attorney's fees must be authorized by statute or contract, a party presenting more than one claim in a single cause must segregate attorney's fees between claims for which attorney's fees are or are not recoverable. See Tony Gullo Motors I, L.P. v. Chapa, 212 S.W.3d 299, 310-11 (Tex. 2006).
  
However, if no one objects to the fact that the attorney's fees are not segregated as to specific claims, the objection is waived. Green Int'l, Inc. v. Solis, 951 S.W.2d 384, 389 (Tex. 1997) (citing Hruska v. First State Bank of Deanville, 747 S.W.2d 783, 785 (Tex. 1988)); Pitts & Collard, L.L.P. v. Schechter, —S.W.3d—, No. 01-08-00969-CV, 2011 WL 6938515, at *14 (Tex. App.-Houston [1st Dist.] Dec. 29, 2011, no pet. h.) (objection to request for attorney's fees "must be made before the trial court renders judgment"). Morton failed to object at the trial court that the Nguyens should be required to segregate their request for attorney's fees, and such failure waived this issue for appellate review. See Red Rock Props. 2005, Ltd. v. Chase Home Fin., L.L.C., No. 14-08-00352-CV, 2009 WL 1795037, at *6-7 (Tex. App.-Houston [14th Dist.] June 25, 2009, no pet.) (mem. op.) (objection that attorney's fees were not segregated was not preserved in trial court); Fortenberry v. Cavanaugh, No. 03-07-00310-CV, 2008 WL 4997568, at *11-12 (Tex. App.-Austin Nov. 26, 2008, pet. denied) (mem. op.) (same); see also TEX. R. APP. P. 33.1(a)(1). We overrule Morton's Issue 16.

SOURCE: FOURTEENTH COURT OF APPEALS - HOUSTON - No. 14-11-00126-CV - 5/17/12 (substituted opinion)

EXCEPTION TO SEGREGATION REQUIREMENT IN CASE OF MULTIPLE PARTIES REPRESENTED BY SAME ATTORNEY

"When a lawsuit involves multiple claims or parties, the proponent of attorney's fees must segregate recoverable fees from those incurred by parties or on claims for which fees are not recoverable." Clearview Props., L.P. v. Prop. Tex. SC One Corp., 287 S.W.3d 132, 143 (Tex. App.-Houston [14th Dist.] 2009, pet. denied) (citing Tony Gullo Motors I, L.P. v. Chapa, 212 S.W.3d 299, 313 (Tex. 2006)). Attorney's fees that relate solely to a claim for which fees are unrecoverable must be segregated. Chapa, 212 S.W.3d at 313. The Supreme Court of Texas has held that attorney's fees are recoverable only as provided by contract or statute, and it "eliminated the exception for fees incurred solely on separate but arguably intertwined claims." Varner v. Cardenas, 218 S.W.3d 68, 69 (Tex. 2007) (citing Chapa, 212 S.W.3d at 313). But the Supreme Court did not require that all fees be segregated even when incurred by co-defendants jointly represented by the same counsel and when such fees are incurred as a result of the same discrete tasks and work.

SOURCE: HOUSTON COURT OF APPEALS - 01-13-00855-CV – 12/30/2014  

How to get attorney's fees awarded: What kind of evidence; is fee segregation required?

   
PROVING LEGAL FEES and FEE SEGREGATION REQUIREMENT (per Dallas CoA)

As to attorney's fees, clear, direct, and uncontroverted evidence of attorney's fees is taken as true as a matter of law, especially when the opposing party has the means and opportunity to disprove the testimony. B&W Supply, Inc. v. Beckman, 305 S.W.3d 10, 20 (Tex. App.-Houston [1st Dist.] 2009, no pet.); see Ragsdale v. Progressive Voters League, 801 S.W.2d 880, 882 (Tex. 1990).
 
If a claimant is entitled to recover attorney's fees for some but not all of his claims, he bears the burden of segregating his fees between claims for which they are recoverable and claims for which they are not. Tony Gullo Motors I, L.P. v. Chapa, 212 S.W.3d 299, 311 (Tex. 2006); A&L Eng'g & Consulting, Inc. v. Shiloh Apollo Plaza, Inc., 315 S.W.3d 928, 931 (Tex. App.-Dallas 2010, no pet.).
 
But a party is not required to segregate attorney's fees if “discrete legal services advance both a recoverable and unrecoverable claim,” thus causing the fees to become “so intertwined that they need not be segregated.” Chapa, 212 S.W.3d at 313-14. If legal fees are incurred to prosecute a claim for which fees are recoverable, the resulting fees are recoverable even if the services also support claims for which fees are not recoverable. Chapa, 212 S.W.3d at 313.

SOURCE: DALLAS COURT OF APPEALS - 05-10-00173-CV - 12/15/11

The Homebuyers' attorney stated his attorney's fees were $29,944.75, and he had deleted $5477.50 from his bills relating to the proceedings against Langford. The Homebuyers' attorney testified the remaining bills were for time spent on the Home-Sellers' case involving DTPA and fraud, and he was unable to separate those bills because they were so intertwined. The Homebuyers' attorney testified $24,467.25 would be a reasonable fee for the work he performed in this case. The Homebuyers' attorney was cross examined about both the time spent on the case and the segregation of fees. The Home-Sellers stipulated that the Homebuyers' attorney was qualified when he began his testimony regarding attorney's fees. The trial court heard all the evidence and awarded attorney's fees of $20,000. The record shows the attorney's fees associated with claims against Langford were segregated. Because the record shows the legal services advanced both the fraud and DTPA claims against the Home-Sellers, the fees were so intertwined that segregation was not necessary. See Chapa, 212 S.W.3d at 313. This record shows the Homebuyers presented competent evidence of out-of-pocket expenses, loss of fair market value, mental anguish damages, and attorney's fees. We therefore uphold the trial court's finding on these damages. See Fernandez, 15 S.W.3d at 651. We overrule the Home-Sellers' fourth issue.

We affirm the trial court's judgment.

SOURCE: FIFTH COURT OF APPEALS IN DALLAS, TX - 05-10-00173-CV - 12/15/11 (judgment in favor of buyers of vermin-infested home against sellers who did not make proper disclosure of termites affirmed; see prior post on this blog)