Private Attorney General Claimant who Lost the Case is Not Entitled to Recover Attorney's Fees

Private citizen ('P') sued City ('D') for spending public money to publish a report which showed the impact of municipal services that were subject of a ballot measure. D brought an anti-SLAPP motion to strike and prevailed. P appealed to district court and to California Supreme Court, but both courts affirmed. Then, P sought attorney's fees under private attorney general statute, California Code of Civil Procedure 1021.5. Held: Since P was not the 'successful party' in the case, P may not recover attorney's fees.
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