An Orange County Superior Court judge sided with the City of Rancho Santa Margarita last week in a ruling that spared the city from paying $500,000 in legal fees. “We are very appreciative of the Court’s thorough review of this matter,” Mayor Tony Beall said in a statement after the ruling by Judge Sheila Recio. “The evidence was abundantly clear: this was a meritless lawsuit based on a frivolous demand for payment.” The conflict that spurred Jackson vs. City of Rancho Santa Margarita spans back to June 2023 when Dana Point-based attorney Michelle Jackson sent a letter to Rancho Santa Margarita alleging that the city violated the California Voting Rights Act by holding at-large elections that disenfranchised minorities. “If you look at the consolidation of council members, they tend to all come from the same area. And there’s very little representation for any of the other areas in the city,” Jackson said. According to 2023 Census data, Rancho Santa Margarita has a population of about 47, 300 people and 20% of residents identify as Hispanic. Jackson later submitted to the city an invoice for her attorney fees for her work drafting up that letter threatening a lawsuit chalking up to about $38,000. Before deciding whether to reimburse Jackson, the city asked her to identify a plaintiff on whose behalf the demand later was submitted. “The plaintiff was terrified so my goal was to protect them,” Jackson said. “But I did offer to confidentially displace the name.” Jackson did not provide a plaintiff and the city withheld payment. She later filed a lawsuit against the city in August of last year, asking for $500,000 in total compensation and legal fees for that initial unpaid invoice. The judge ultimately ruled against her favor, on the basis that Jackson did not provide a plaintiff, and the city owes $0 in reimbursement. Jackson has 60 days to appeal the decision, which she says she intends to do. “I’m not asking for $30,000 anymore. My attorney fee is already in the hundreds of thousands. So my attorney fees, their attorney fees it’s gonna be astronomical for the city,” Jackson said. “I feel bad, but this is ridiculous that they’re doing this. This has got to be the most fiscally negligent thing I’ve ever heard of.”.
https://www.ocregister.com/2025/11/26/rancho-santa-margarita-wins-court-case-does-not-have-to-pay-500000-in-legal-fees/
Rancho Santa Margarita wins court case, does not have to pay $500,000 in legal fees
