Section 998: Rejected Defense Offer Of $15,000, Where Plaintiff Recovered Nothing, Justified Award Of Defense Costs Request In An Unruh Act Case

Defense Was Awarded $67,313.97 Under § 998, Applicable To Unruh Act Claims.

               In Hughes v. Target Corp., Case No. H050996 et al. (6^th Dist. Apr. 22, 2025) (unpublished), plaintiff brought an Unruh Act claim against defendant based on an altercation with Target’s security guard.  She lost.  Earlier, she had rejected a $15,000 CCP § 998 pre-trial offer to settle after depositions were taken and an unsuccessful mediation took place.  The defense sought costs of $67,313.97 based on the section 998 rejection, with all of it awarded by the lower court.  Plaintiff’s appeal did not gain anything more on this costs-shifting issue: the 998 offer was done properly, it does apply in the Unruh Act context, and plaintiff had plenty of knowledge with respect to making an informed decision on accepting the offer.