Lawyers Giving Anaheim a Break in Angel Case

With its legal bills approaching $500,000 in its suit against the Angels, the city of Anaheim has reached agreements in which their lawyers work for discounted hourly rates and incentive bonuses.

City Atty. Jack White declined to say how much bonus money the lawyers could receive if Anaheim wins, or whether the lawyers would get a fixed amount or a percentage of damages assessed against -- or settlement with -- the Angels. In letters outlining the fee arrangement, the lawyers representing the city said such information could “reveal litigation strategies and tactics.”

Co-counsel Andy Guilford, added to the city’s legal team in February, will bill at $295 per hour. Co-counsel Mike Rubin, who had been charging $364.25 per hour as part of a city contract with his firm, Rutan and Tucker, will bill at $285 for this case.

Those rates are “significantly discounted” from typical rates for senior partners in Southern California, said Sheldon Eisenberg of the Santa Monica law firm Bryan Cave.

The city has received bills of $469,426 through April, White said. The final billing should top $1 million, with a summer of preparation ahead for a trial set to start Nov. 7. Mayor Curt Pringle said he is scheduled for deposition Tuesday.

The Angels this week filed a countersuit against the city, asking the Orange County Superior Court to declare that they can play as the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Eisenberg said such a suit is likely to be decided in conjunction with the trial -- or with the Angels’ pending motion for summary judgment, in which the court would be asked to throw out the city’s claim that the team has violated its stadium lease.