Opinion ID: 629083
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Attorneys' Fees and Costs Under the UTPA

Text: 19 We review the district court's award of attorneys' fees for an abuse of discretion. Underlying factual findings will only be upset when clearly erroneous. However, a district court's statutory interpretation or legal analysis which provides the basis for the fee award is reviewable de novo. Homeward Bound, Inc. v. Hissom Memorial Ctr., 963 F.2d 1352, 1355 (10th Cir.1992) (citations omitted). We ascertain and apply the UTPA's fee-shifting provision such that we reach the same result that a New Mexico court would reach. See Adams-Arapahoe, 959 F.2d at 868. The UTPA provides: 20 The court shall award attorneys' fees and costs to the party complaining of an unfair or deceptive trade practice or unconscionable trade practice if he prevails. The court shall award attorneys' fees and costs to the party charged with an unfair or deceptive trade practice or an unconscionable trade practice if it finds that the party complaining of such trade practice brought an action which was groundless. 21 N.M.Stat.Ann. Sec. 57-12-10(C) (Michie 1987). Knight won a jury verdict under the UTPA. Snap-On contends, however, that Knight was not a prevailing party because he did not succeed on all of his claims brought under the UTPA. We disagree. 22 New Mexico courts define the prevailing plaintiff as the party who wins the lawsuit. See American Ins. Co. v. El Paso Pipe & Supply Co., 978 F.2d 1185, 1192 (10th Cir.1992). And, as Snap-On concedes in its brief, one need not prevail on the entire claim to merit prevailing party status. See Rhinehart v. Nowlin, 111 N.M. 319, 328, 805 P.2d 88, 97 (Ct.App.1990). We conclude that, under New Mexico law, Knight is entitled to attorneys' fees and costs because he was a prevailing party. 4 23 We also reject Snap-On's claim for attorneys' fees on the basis that certain parts of Knight's UTPA action were groundless. A claim is groundless under the UTPA if it is frivolous under the facts or law extant at the time it is brought. See G.E.W. Mechanical Contractors, Inc. v. Johnston Co., 115 N.M. 727, 732-733, 858 P.2d 103, 108-109 (N.M.Ct.App.1993). As a whole, Knight's claim was not frivolous; he won. We reject Snap-On's attempt to fractionalize the prevailing plaintiff inquiry. We find no evidence that the New Mexico legislature intended to create a mechanism for UTPA violators to tax a plaintiff's unsuccessful trade practices allegations against his successful ones. Snap-On can claim no attorneys' fees or costs under the UTPA.