Friolo v. Frankel
Annotate this Case
Joy Friolo was hired by Douglas Frankel, a physician, to handle his billing and collections. After Friolo was discharged, she filed a complaint against Frankel and his practice, claiming that Frankel did not pay her for certain overtime and bonuses. A jury entered a verdict in favor of Friolo. The parties then began a protracted dispute over attorney fees. Ultimately, on the third appeal, the court of special appeals awarded fees for the trial stage of the litigation and for appellate work for a total of $45,041. In coming up with this figure, the court used an unprecedented mathematical formula for determining how attorneys’ fees in this case only should be calculated based on the arithmetic relationship among the amount of the claim, settlement demands and offers, and ultimate judgment. The Court of Appeals vacated the judgment of the court of special appeals, holding that the lower appellate court erred in its approach. Remanded.
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.