Attorneys’ fees awarded to former Univision employees against Eddie “Piolín” Sotelo

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piolinOn 6/17, an LA Superior Court awarded more than $100K in attorneys’ fees to six former Univision Radio employees against Spanish-language radio personality Eduardo “Piolín” Sotelo for defending an extortion claim against the defendants and their attorneys at Taylor & Ring, an LA-based trial law firm. The award will be paid by Sotelo himself, rather than his attorneys.


The former Univision staffers alleged they were forced to watch Sotelo defecate, urinate in bottles, and they were subjected to repeated sexual assaults over a period of several years while they worked with Sotelo on his Piolín Por La Mañana radio show.

In March, an LA Superior Court Judge dismissed a lawsuit alleging extortion brought by Sotelo. The Judge found that Sotelo’s suit was a strategic lawsuit against public participation (“SLAPP”) designed to intimidate the defendants from filing their own lawsuit against Sotelo. In ruling for the defendants, the Court also invited them to file a motion to recover all of their attorneys’ fees and costs from Sotelo.

“We are very pleased with the award to our clients. Mr. Sotelo’s lawsuit was a complete sham from the beginning, attempting to use the legal system to divert attention from his perverse actions,” said John C. Taylor, a partner with Taylor & Ring.

In July, the Court will hear a motion for attorneys’ fees paid by Taylor & Ring for defending against the tactics brought by Sotelo.