The solar panels are staying up on a hillside above Soledad Canyon Road for now, despite a yearslong legal fight from the city of Santa Clarita to remove them.   The attorneys for both sides will have made well over $1 million in legal fees for arguments that began in September 2018 and are still racking up invoices.  Now the only question is, who’s going to pay all those case consultants, subject-matter experts and, of course, the lawyers.  Both Canyon View Estates, which put up a massive solar farm above its mobile home park in Canyon Country, and the city, which unsuccessfully sought an order to have the panels taken down — filed motions saying the other side should have to pay their attorneys.  The stakes are high.   Canyon View is seeking north of $3.5 million for attorney fees and other legal costs, while the city is seeking more than $1.5 million for its attorney fees.  If the losing argument is forced to pay the other side’s legal bills, the cost could exceed the $5 million the city was ordered to pay Canyon View Estates in order to legally force the solar panels’ removal.  That’s because L.A. County Superior Court Judge Steve Pfahler found in favor of the city’s argument regarding the panels being a nuisance, which the city considered a win, but he also ruled that Canyon View had legal rights to be compensated for the $5 million it took to install the panels.   The appellate court later ruled that only a tiny fraction of the solar panels could be considered a nuisance, which Canyon View considered a win.  The appellate court judge’s ruling on the case stated each side should have to pay their own legal costs.  But attorneys on both sides had something to say about that.  The Santa Clarita City Council is expected to talk about the status of the case, according to the agenda for a closed-session discussion Tuesday.   The latest arguments over the legal fees started back in October, when lawyers for Canyon View asked to file a motion seeking attorneys’ fees and a “status conference” on the matter.  Then on Jan. 22, the lawyers for Canyon View filed a 15-page request to be named the prevailing party and be awarded litigation expenses.  Canyon View’s firm is seeking $3.3 million in attorney’s fees, nearly $8,500 to pay for the city’s opposition to the briefing about legal fees, $37,941 in appearance costs and more than $300,000 in expert fees.   “As the prevailing party, Canyon View is entitled to reimbursement for post-judgment attorneys’ fees, including attorneys’ fees incurred on appeal,” Canyon View argued.  In a Jan. 23 filing, attorneys for the city of Santa Clarita argued that the city is the prevailing party “because the city achieved a significant litigation objective, injunctive relief to stop the unpermitted construction.”  “The city seeks $1,503,850.80 in attorney’s fees,” the city argued. “This amount is reasonable under the circumstances of the case.”  The court records demonstrate how the costs of a legal fight can add up.  The city’s firm also believes the city will incur approximately $30,000 in expenses arguing why it shouldn’t have to pay for this latest challenge, according to its filing for next month’s hearing.   A trial conference is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. April 23 in Department F43 at the Chatsworth Superior Court.  The post Millions on the line in fight over solar panel legal costs   appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal. ...read more read less