Victim Petitions SCOTUS to Review Wealthy Predators' Unjust Manipulation of Fees

LOS ANGELES - April 9, 2024 - PRLog -- Victim Petitions SCOTUS to Review Wealthy Predators' Unjust Manipulation

Vidala Aaronoff v Curtis Olson, No. 23-6163

Los Angeles- Petitioner to the US Supreme Court Vidala Aaronoff urges the Highest Court to review an Equal Access to Justice claim of a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment, arising from a California restraining order court's unjustified award of statutory attorney's fees. Although Vidala Aaronoff, an indigent woman, prevailed, the court ordered her to pay billionaire Curtis Olson's astronomical attorney's fees, which ballooned to over $3 Million via a legal loophole for the super-rich.

Petition alleges: Nexus Development CEO Curtis Olson fraudulently inflated a residential property value by listing neighboring properties millions of dollars over value to spike property algorithms. Then Olson lied to the trial court that Aaronoff owned the property to mislead the court that she was wealthy. Shockingly, Olson owns the property.

Olson is accused of luring Aaronoff to his residence and attempting to rape her in May 2015.  Aaronoff sought a Civil Harassment Restraining Order, which resulted in a three year protective order in December 2015.  Soon Olson violated it. Olson retaliated with a meritless cross-restraining order.

The combined dueling restraining orders were both denied. Given that each party prevented the other from obtaining a restraining order, they were both deemed prevailing parties and entitled to statutory attorney's fees. Olson has the means to afford expensive counsel whereas Aaronoff mostly self-represented does not.  Olson claimed $300,000 in legal fees dwarfing Aaronoff's fees. The average restraining order attorney's fees are $5,000-$10,000.

However, Olson's property-inflating fraudulent scheme caused the trial court to erroneously believe Aaronoff was wealthy and to order her to pay Olson $80,000 in offsetting statutory fees. Subsequently, Olson's fees ballooned to over $3 million from charging Aaronoff for his attorney's collection fees, which include derivative lawsuits against Aaronoff's mother, brother and others in search of that non-existent $80,000.

Although Aaronoff subsequently proved she never owned the property and was indeed indigent, the appellate court ignored time-honored equitable laws overturning the trial court's "substantial justice by determining ability to pay," which sidestepped property ownership, holding that particular statute does not require "ability to pay" determinations; thus Aaronoff was ordered to pay Olson's outrageous legal fees. This allows courts to protect wealthy and financially punish vulnerable victims who seek redress in the courts, weakening the public's trust.

SCOTUS Docket:  Aaronoff v Olson Case No. 23-6163

https://www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?filename=/docket/docketfiles/html/public/23-6163.html

Petitioner Vidala Aaronoff's Attorney Alan Reinach Contact Details

Alan Reinach State Bar No.196899

Address: Church State Council

2686 Townsgate Rd, Westlake Village, CA 91361

Phone: 805-413-7396