Source: http://www.chanrobles.com/usa/us_supremecourt/455/445/case.php
Timestamp: 2019-10-15 19:49:52
Document Index: 640598935

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 1988', '§ 1988', '§ 1988', '§ 1988', '§ 1988', '§ 1988', '§ 1988', '§ 1920', '§ 1988', '§ 1988']

WHITE V. NEW HAMPSHIRE DEPT. OF EMPL. SEC., 455 U. S. 445 (1982) - US SUPREME COURT DECISIONS ON-LINE
US Supreme Court Decisions On-Line> Volume 455 > WHITE V. NEW HAMPSHIRE DEPT. OF EMPL. SEC., 455 U. S. 445 (1982)
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(b) Application of Rule 59(e) to § 1988 fee requests is neither necessary nor desirable to promote finality, judicial economy, or fairness. Many orders may issue in the course of a civil rights action, but it may be chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
POWELL, J., delivered the opinion of the Court, in which BURGER, C.J.,and BRENNAN, WHITE, MARSHALL, REHNQUIST, STEVENS, and O'CONNOR, JJ., joined. BLACKMUN, J., filed an opinion concurring in the judgment, post, p. 455 U. S. 455.
The issue in this case arises from a postjudgment request for an award of attorney's fees under the Civil Rights Attorney's Fees Awards Act of 1976, 42 U.S.C. § 1988. The question is whether such a request is a "motion to alter or chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
Five days after the entry of judgment, counsel to White wrote to respondent's counsel, suggesting that they meet to discuss the petitioner's entitlement to attorney's fees as a prevailing party under 42 U.S.C. § 1988. No meeting appears to have been held. On June 7, 1979, approximately chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
On appeal, the Court of Appeals for the First Circuit reversed the District Court's decision to award attorney's fees under § 1988. 629 F.2d 697 (1980). The court held that petitioner's postjudgment motion for attorney's fees constituted a motion to alter or amend the judgment, governed by Rule 59(e) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and its 10-day time limit. 629 F.2d 699.
In holding as it did, the Court of Appeals recognized that § 1988 provided for the award of attorney's fees "as part of the costs." [Footnote 5] But it declined to follow a recent decision of the chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit [Footnote 6] that treated a § 1988 fee request as a motion for "costs" under Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 54(d) [Footnote 7] and 58 [Footnote 8] -- Rules that contain no explicit time bars. Despite the language of § 1988, the Court of Appeals reasoned that attorney's fees could not be the kind of "costs" contemplated by Rules 54(d) and 58. It reached this conclusion by looking to 28 U.S.C. § 1920, which specifies various "costs" that can be assessed by a clerk of court under Rule 54. The court found all to be "capable of routine computation" on a day's notice. 629 F.2d 702. By contrast, an award of attorney's fees must be made by a judge. Further, as in this case, a fee award could affect substantially the total liability of the parties.
The Court of Appeals found this case distinguishable from Hutto v. Finney, 437 U. S. 678 (1978), in which this Court characterized attorney's fees, under the Fees Act, as "costs" taxable against a State. In Hutto, the Court of Appeals reasoned, the narrow question was whether the States have Eleventh Amendment immunity against liability for attorney's fees. The question was not whether attorney's fees are costs under Rule 54. The court also dismissed the argument that a request for attorney's fees is "a collateral and independent chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
Rule 59(e) was added to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure in 1946. Its draftsmen had a clear and narrow aim. According to the accompanying Advisory Committee Report, the Rule was adopted to "mak[e] clear that the district court possesses the power" to rectify its own mistakes in the period immediately following the entry of judgment. [Footnote 11] The question of the court's authority to do so had arisen in Boaz v. Mutual Life Ins. Co. of New York, 146 F.2d 321, 322 (CA8 1944). According to their report, the draftsmen intended Rule 59(e) specifically "to care for a situation such as that arising in Boaz." [Footnote 12] chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
Section 1988 provides for awards of attorney's fees only to a "prevailing party." Regardless of when attorney's fees are requested, the court's decision of entitlement to fees will therefore require an inquiry separate from the decision on chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
In holding Rule 59(e) applicable to the postjudgment fee request in this case, the Court of Appeals emphasized the need to prevent fragmented appellate review and unfair postjudgment surprise to nonprevailing defendants. See 629 F.2d 701-704. These are important concerns. But we do not think that the application of Rule 59(e) to § 1988 fee requests is either necessary or desirable to promote finality, judicial economy, or fairness.
The application of Rule 59(e) to postjudgment fee requests could yield harsh and unintended consequences. Section chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
The 10-day limit of Rule 59(e) also could deprive counsel of the time necessary to negotiate private settlements of fee questions. If so, the application of Rule 59(e) actually could generate increased litigation of fee questions -- a result ironically at odds with the claim that it would promote judicial economy. [Footnote 15] chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
Section 1988 authorizes the award of attorney's fees "in [the] discretion" of the court. We believe that this discretion will support a denial of fees in cases in which a postjudgment motion unfairly surprises or prejudices the affected party. Moreover, the district courts remain free to adopt local rules establishing timeliness standards for the filing of claims for attorney's fees. [Footnote 16] And, of course, the district courts generally can avoid piecemeal appeals by promptly hearing and deciding claims to attorney's fees. Such practice normally will permit appeals from fee awards to be considered together with any appeal from a final judgment on the merits. [Footnote 17] chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
There is implicit support for this view in decisions of the Courts of Appeals holding that decisions on the merits may be "final" and "appealable" prior to the entry of a fee award. See, e.g., Memphis Sheraton Corp. v. Kirkley, 614 F.2d 131, 133 (CA6 1980); Hidell v. International Diversified Investments, 520 F.2d 529, 532, n. 4 (CA7 1975); see also Obin v. District 9, Int'l Assn. of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, 651 F.2d 583-584. If a merits judgment is final and appealable prior to the entry of a fee award, then the remaining fee issue must be "collateral" to the decision on the merits. Conversely, the collateral character of the fee issue establishes that an outstanding fee question does not bar recognition of a merits judgment as "final" and "appealable." Obin v. District No. 9, Int'l Assn. of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, supra, at 584. Although "piecemeal" appeals of merits and fee questions generally are undesirable, district courts have ample authority to deal with this problem. See infra at 455 U. S. 454, and n. 16.
See, e.g., Obin v. District No. 9, Int'l Assn. of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, supra, at 583 (recommending adoption of "a uniform rule requiring the filing of a claim for attorney's fees within twenty-one days after entry of judgment"); Knighton v. Watkins, 616 F.2d 798, n. 2 (practices governing requests for attorney's fees "can be handled best by local rule"). As different jurisdictions have established different procedures for the filing of fee applications, there may be valid local reasons for establishing different time limits.
I would answer that question, and hold that Rules 54(d) and 58 also do not apply to postjudgment § 1988 fees requests. I believe that the federal courts and the lawyers that practice in them should have an answer so that we shall not have yet another case to decide before the correct procedure for evaluating such requests is settled for all concerned. chanroblesvirtualawlibrary