Kelley Kronenberg Partner/Business Unit Leader Julie Karron secured a $236,493.50 fee award for Tiffany Lake Association following her complete trial victory defending derivative injunction claims in Palm Beach County Circuit Court. 

Homeowners filed a derivative action seeking to enjoin their association from imposing a special assessment and operating under amended governing documents. Julie defended the association through a three-day bench trial, proving the voting procedures were proper, the assessment valid, and plaintiffs failed to meet their burden for injunctive relief. Judge Carolyn Bell ruled for the association on all claims—denying both the temporary and permanent injunctions. 

Under Florida Statute § 718.303, prevailing parties in condominium disputes are entitled to mandatory fee awards. The Court entered an order of entitlement, setting the fee hearing for December 1, 2025. 

At the evidentiary hearing, Julie called expert Cary Sabol, a real estate attorney with extensive association law experience. Opposing counsel mounted an aggressive challenge, filing a motion to strike the expert affidavit and arguing reasonableness. 

Opposing counsel attacked the expert’s methodology, arguing he lacked sufficient knowledge because he reviewed only the court docket and billing records rather than the defendant’s entire case file. He questioned how any expert could assess reasonableness without examining the underlying work product. 

Judge Bell rejected the challenges decisively. She granted Julie’s motion to strike plaintiff’s expert objections and denied their motion to strike Sabol’s testimony. Her written order made extensive findings supporting the fee award. 

Applying the Rowe factors, Judge Bell emphasized the difficulty of the legal issues presented. The governing documents disputes and both injunction proceedings required “very high” skill levels and “took a great amount of skill, on both sides, to address and to present to the Court.” The hours weren’t excessive—Judge Bell found “in no way that the number of hours expended were overkill.” Having multiple attorneys work the case was “very reasonable” given the complexity. 

Judge Bell also noted the results obtained. Complete victory for the association on “a hugely important issue on both sides” supported the reasonableness finding. 

On January 6, 2026, the Court entered an order and final judgment awarding $222,189.50 in attorney’s fees and $14,304.00 in costs—a total of $236,493.50 against plaintiffs jointly and severally, with statutory interest. The judgment reserves jurisdiction for post-judgment enforcement including discovery and depositions in aid of execution. 

This victory demonstrates why procedural discipline matters in fee litigation. The June stipulation proved dispositive, but expert testimony and the trial record provided independent support for the award. For condominium associations, Florida Statute § 718.303 provides meaningful protection—prevail against derivative actions challenging valid governance decisions, and full recovery of defense costs follows. 

The decision sends a clear message: associations that successfully defend meritless derivative claims recover their entire defense expenditure. Courts will enforce procedural requirements like stipulations and response deadlines, and fee awards will be substantial when the underlying litigation is complex and hard-fought.