Opinion ID: 874521
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: attorney fees are awarded pursuant to i.a.r. 11.1

Text: An attorney's signature on a brief or notice of appeal certifies that, among other things, it is well grounded in fact and is warranted by existing law or a good faith argument for the extension, modification, or reversal of existing law, and that it is not interposed for any improper purpose, such as to harass or to cause unnecessary delay or needless increase in the cost of litigation. I.A.R. 11.1. In determining what sanction is appropriate under the rule, the Court has declared that a lack of legal or factual grounds for an appeal, alone, is generally not enough to support an award of attorney fees without a showing that the appeal was brought for an improper purpose. Shriner v. Rausch, 141 Idaho 228, 232, 108 P.3d 375, 379 (2005) (citing Painter v. Potlatch Corp., 138 Idaho 309, 315, 63 P.3d 435, 441 (2003)). This case lacks any reasonable basis in fact or clearly defined law. Improper purpose may be inferred, particularly in light of the district court's repeated explanations of the lawsuit's failings. Attorney fees against counsel for prosecuting this appeal are appropriate.