(a) In any civil action or proceeding, including, but not limited to, an action brought pursuant to Section 21167 of the Public Resources Code, against a public entity that has issued planning, subdivision, or other approvals for a housing development, to enjoin the carrying out or approval of a housing development or to secure a writ of mandate relative to the approval of, or a decision to carry out the housing development, the court, after entry of final judgment and the time to appeal has elapsed, and after notice to the plaintiff or plaintiffs, may award all reasonably incurred costs of suit, including attorney’s fees, to the prevailing public entity or nonprofit housing corporation that is the real party in interest and the permit applicant of the low- and moderate-income housing if it finds all of the following:
(1) The housing development meets or exceeds the requirements for low- and moderate-income housing as set forth in Section 65915.
(2) The action was frivolous and undertaken with the primary purpose of delaying or thwarting the low- or moderate-income nature of the housing development or portions thereof.
(3) The public entity or nonprofit housing corporation that is the real party in interest and the permit applicant of the low- and moderate-income housing making application for costs under this section has prevailed on all issues presented by the pleadings and the public entity or nonprofit housing corporation that is the real party in interest and the permit applicant of the low- and moderate-income housing actively, through counsel or otherwise, took part on a continuing basis in the defense of the lawsuit.
(4) A demand for a preliminary injunction was made by the plaintiff and denied by a court of competent jurisdiction, or the action or proceeding was dismissed as a result of a motion for summary judgment by any defendant, and the denial or dismissal was not reversed on appeal.
(b) In any appeal of any action described in subdivision (a), the reviewing court may award all reasonably incurred costs of suit, including attorney’s fees, to the prevailing public entity or nonprofit housing corporation that is the real party in interest and the permit applicant of the low- and moderate-income housing if the court reviews and upholds the trial court’s findings with respect to paragraphs (1) to (4), inclusive, of subdivision (a).
(c) Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit the application of any other remedies or rights provided under law.
(Amended by Stats. 2003, Ch. 793, Sec. 4. Effective January 1, 2004.)