In addition to affirming Needham's ruling, the high court's decision on Friday sends the case back to Needham and instructs him to calculate the balance of the loan and determine the amount of
attorneys fees and costs Stafsholt incurred at the high court and court of appeals.
In awarding
attorneys fees, the district court failed to exclude time spent for plaintiffs whose claims were time-barred; it also incorrectly determined the percentage of sought damages actually won.
Insurance Commissioner David Altmaier testified the bill does not tackle a major incentive for AOB abuse:
attorneys fees.
The term "suits at common law" in the United States Constitution has been construed to refer to common-law causes of action and "actions brought to enforce statutory rights that are analogous to common-law causes of action ordinarily decided in English law courts in the late 18th century, as opposed to those customarily heard by courts of equity or admiralty." (25) It turns out that attorneys' fees have been considered "part of costs" for a very long time: "At common law, attorney's fees were regarded as an element of 'costs' awarded to the prevailing party." (26) And "[s]ince there is no common law right to recover
attorneys fees, the Seventh Amendment does not guarantee a trial by jury to determine the amount of reasonable
attorneys fees." (27)
If the particular court is located in a jurisdiction that requires that a plaintiff plead its intent to recover his
attorneys fees under FRCP 9(g) or otherwise provide timely notice, a company should assert the "plead or waiver" defenses recognized by those jurisdictions.
Likewise, in the federal reporters, numerous courts have struggled to resolve the "stylistic dilemma of whether to use 'attorney fees,' '
attorneys fees,' 'attorney's fees,' or 'attorneys' fees'.
Hematology asserted that the trial court erred in awarding attorney's fees and costs to the Estate because the "expenses terms" of the AWDA do not permit a claim for
attorneys fees or litigation expenses.
The defendants objected when the plaintiffs attorneys requested fees in excess of $14 million--an amount they reached by calculating hourly attorney rates plus a fee enhancement for "superior work and results." The district court awarded
attorneys fees of $10.5 million, which included a $4.5 million fee enhancement.
The subcontract agreement contained an
attorneys fee clause which stated: "Should a subcontractor default in any of the provisions of this subcontract and should contractor employ an attorney to enforce any provisions hereof or collect damages for breach of subcontract, subcontractor and his surety agreed to pay contractor such reasonable
attorneys fees as he may expend therein."
He stated that the federal statute was enacted to eliminate abusive debt collection practices and to protect consumers by prohibiting a debt collector from using unfair or unconscionable means to collect a consumer debt, and if he does, the law imposes civil liability, including
attorneys fees, upon the debt collector.
The parties agreed that $32,000 fairly represented the costs, including
attorneys fees, accrued prior to the defendants' offer under Rule 68.
Case No.: 16-67 Focus:
Attorneys Fees Prevailing Prisoners This is a case about how much prevailing prisoners must pay their lawyers.