May 6, 2026
Dardarian Ho Kan & Lee, along with co-counsel Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto and Nicholas Tomasevic LLP, were honored with a 2026 California Lawyer of the Year (CLAY) award by the Daily Journal for their hard-fought litigation in Munguia-Brown v. Equity Residential. The CLAY Awards celebrate the California legal teams that handle the most impactful legal matters each year. Click on this link to access the Daily Journal’s article.
Linda M. Dardarian led the legal team that secured a $43 million class action settlement on behalf of approximately 200,000 current and former California tenants who were charged unlawful and excessive late fees by Equity Residential, one of the largest residential landlords in the country. The team also obtained a finding that percentage-based late rent fees are unlawful. The ruling came after 11 years of litigation and an 8-day bench trial that occurred in June 2023 before Senior U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White. The Court ruled that Equity’s late fee of 5% of monthly rent was “null and void” under California Civil Code § 1671(d). Equity stopped charging the percentage-based fee in 2024.
As a result of this case, the California Apartment Association revised its public information on late fees, signaling to landlords across California that late fees must be tied to the actual cost of collecting late rent, rather than being profitable and punitive. Andrew P. Lee, a name partner at DHKL, said, “This was a very stubborn defendant and I’m very pleased with the result. We are enforcing important tenant protections and putting the industry on notice.”
The following attorneys are recognized for their work in leading the litigation:
- Linda M. Dardarian, Dardarian Ho Kan & Lee
- Andrew P. Lee, Dardarian Ho Kan & Lee
- Katherine Fisher Trabucco, Dardarian Ho Kan & Lee
- Anne P. Bellows, formerly of Dardarian Ho Kan & Lee, now with the California Department of Justice
- Margaret M. McBride, Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto
- Stacy Y. Townsend, Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto
- Craig M. Nicholas, Nicholas & Tomasevic LLP
- Alex M. Tomasevic, Nicholas & Tomasevic LLP
- Jordan Belcastro, Nicholas & Tomasevic LLP
- Jason H. Tarricone, formerly of Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto, currently with the California Department of Justice
About Dardarian Ho Kan & Lee
Dardarian Ho Kan & Lee is one of the oldest and most successful plaintiffs’ public interest class action law firms in the country. DHKL represents individuals against large companies and other entities in complex class and collective action lawsuits. The firm brings public interest cases in the areas of employment discrimination, wage and hour violations, disability access, voting rights, tenants’ rights, environmental protection, and consumer protections. The firm has a national practice, litigating cases in federal and state courts throughout the country.
About Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto
Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto (CLSEPA) and its predecessor agency, the East Palo Alto Community Law Project, have a long standing history of noteworthy service in East Palo Alto and neighboring communities. Since East Palo Alto’s incorporation in 1983, the legal services offered to the community have continuously expanded in response to evolving needs.
About Nicholas & Tomasevic, LLP
Nicholas & Tomasevic, LLP represents businesses and individuals in a variety of areas of litigation, including class actions, insurance coverage disputes, business claims, and intellectual property cases. Nicholas & Tomasevic prides itself on cost-effectively providing clients the skills of a large firm while maintaining a small-firm atmosphere suited for clients of all varieties.