N O T FO R PUB L ICAT IO N UNITED STATES C OUR T OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH C IR C UIT
In re : B ARR

YNGTON EUGENE SEAR C Y, De

btor,
B ARR YNGTON EUGENE SEAR C Y, Appe lla

nt,
v. ADA C OUNTY PR O SEC UTING ATTOR NEY’ S OFFIC E, Appe lle e . No. 12-60002 B AP No. 11-1060
M EM O R ANDUM *

Appe a l from

the Ninth C irc uit B ankruptc y

Appe lla te Pa ne l M arke ll, Dunn, a

nd Jury , B ankruptc y

Judge s, Pre siding Subm itte d M arc h 4, 2014 ** Portla nd, Ore gon 

# FIL ED
MAR 12 2014 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U
. S

. CO URT O F APPEALS

* This disposition is not a ppropria te for public a t ion a

nd is not pre c e de nt e xc e pt a s provide d

by 9th C ir. R . 36-3. ** The pa

ne l una nim ously c onc lude s this c a se is suita ble for de c ision without ora l a

rgum e nt. Se e Fe d. R . App. P. 34(a )(2).B e fore : GOODW IN, TR OTT, a nd W . FLETC HER , C irc u it Judge s. In 2009, Appe lla

nt B a rry ngton Euge ne Se arc y , who is se rving a fixe d life
se nte nc e for first-de gre e m urde r a n d robbe ry , file d a C ha pte r 7 ba n kruptc y pe tition
and sc h e d ule s with theUnite d State s B a nkruptc y C ourt for the Distric t of Ida ho. In his sc he dule s, Se arc y

liste d attorne y ’ s fe e s a

warde d a ga i nst him in the Ada C ounty Distric t C ourt a

nd the Idaho C ourt of Appe a ls pursua nt to Ida ho C ode § 31-3220A a fte r Se arc y

file d a frivolous c ivil suit a

ga inst va rious sta te and c ounty
e m ploy e e s. The ba nkruptc y c o urt he ld tha

t the a ttorne y ’ s fe e awards a re e xc e pte d from disc ha rge pursua

nt to 11 U.S.C . §§ 523(a )(7) a nd (a )(17). Se arc y a ppe a le d to the B ankruptc y

Appe l la te Pa ne l of the Ninth C irc uit (“ B AP” ), whic h a ffirm e d the ba nkruptc y c ourt’ s de c ision. W e have jurisdic tion pursua nt to 28 U.S.C
. § 158(d)(2)(A) a

nd we a ffirm
. Se c tion 523(a )(17) e xc e pts from disc h arge an y de bt for a fe e im pose d on a

prisone r by

any c ourt for the filing of a

c a se , m otion, c om

pla int, or a

ppe a l, or for othe r c osts a nd e xpe nse s a sse sse d with re spe c t to suc h filing, re ga rdle ss of a

n a sse rtion of pove rty by

the de btor unde r subse c tion (b) or (f)(2) of se c tion 1915 of title 28 (or a sim ila r non-Fe d e ra l la

w), or the de btor’ s sta

tus a s a prisone r, a s de fine d in se c tion 1915(h) of title 28 (or a sim ila r non-Fe de ra l la

w). 11 U.S.C . § 523(a )(17).

-2-28 U.S.C . § 1915(f)(2) provide s for the im position of c osts on prisone r litiga nts. Se c tion 31-3220A of the

Idaho C ode provide s for the award of “ re a sona ble c osts
and attorne y ’ s fe e s” if, inte r alia , the c ourt finds tha t any pa rt of a prisone r litiga nt’ s a c tion is frivolous. Ida ho C ode § 31-3220A(16). Attorne y ’ s fe e s awards im pose d unde r se c t ion 31-3220A a re prope rly
c onside re d “ e xpe nse s a sse sse d with re spe c t to” the filing of Se arc y ’ s c a se . B e c a use the y we re i m p ose d unde r a

non-fe de ra l la

w sim ila r to 28 U.S.C
. § 1915(f)(2), the y are e xc e pte d from disc ha rge unde r § 523(a )(17). Se arc y a sse rts tha

t in In re Hough , 239 B .R . 412 (B .A.P. 9th C ir. 1999), the B AP e xpre ssly

he ld tha t attorne y ’ s fe e awards do not fa l l within § 523(a )(17). Se arc y is c orre c t tha

t , in Hough , the B AP re ve rse d a ba nkruptc y c ourt’ s de te rm i na tion tha

t attorne y ’ s fe e s im

pose d unde r a diffe re nt Ida ho sta tute we re nondisc ha

rge a ble unde r § 523(a )(17). Id. a t 416. B ut Hough wa s de c ide d unde r a pre v ious ve rsion of § 523(a )(17), whic h only

re nde re d nondisc ha

rge a ble de b ts for

“ c o sts a nd e xpe nse s a sse sse d . . . unde r § 1915(b) or (f) of title 28.” Id. a t 413. The B ankruptc y

Abuse and C onsum e r Prote c tion Ac t of 2005, Pub. L. No. 109-8, § 301, 119 Sta

t. 23, 75, a

m e nde d § 523(a )(17) to a dd the “ sim ila r non-Fe de ra l sta tute ” la ngua ge . Thus, Se arc y ’ s re lia n c e on Hough is m ispla c e d.

-3-Sinc e we c onc lude tha t the a ttorne y ’ s fe e aw ards a re e xc e pte d from disc ha rge unde r § 523(a )(17), we ne e d not a ddre s s whe the r the awards would a lso be nondisc ha

rge a ble unde r § 523(a )(7). AFFIRM E D.

-4-