Opinion ID: 2575723
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: landowners' motion for appeal-related attorney fees and costs

Text: ¶ 21 Landowners in each of the four instant cases seek an award of their appeal-related attorney fees and costs pursuant to Okla.Sup.Ct.R. 1.14(a) and (b), 27 O.S. § 5 and 66 O.S.2001 § 55. County subsequently filed its Objection to Assessment of Attorney's Fees, arguing that Landowners have incurred no actual attorney fees and expenses in this condemnation proceeding because the Landowners' cost of defense was defrayed from the land owner by a private organization who [sic] is opposed to the county's authority to acquire this easement. County cites no legal authority in support of its objection to the assessment of attorney fees in this matter. ¶ 22 The general rule is [a]ppeal-related attorney fees are recoverable if statutory authority exists for their award in the trial court. Casey v. Casey, 2002 OK 70, ¶ 26 58 P.3d 763, 772 (footnotes omitted). Further, the right to recover attorney fees in a condemnation proceeding must be provided by statute. Carter v. City of Oklahoma City, 1993 OK 134, 862 P.2d 77, 79; see Root v. Kamo Elec. Coop., Inc., 1985 OK 8, 699 P.2d 1083 (permitting condemnees' recovery of attorney fees against a rural electric cooperative pursuant to 66 O.S.1981 § 55(D)). Title 27 O.S. § 5 provides in pertinent part, [a]ny county . . . shall have power to condemn lands in like manner as railroad companies.. . . Id. Title 66 O.S.2001 § 51 et seq. is the statutory scheme applicable in condemnation proceedings instituted by railroad companies and provides the applicable method of procedure for eminent domain proceedings brought pursuant to 27 O.S. § 5. See Harn v. State ex rel. Williamson, 1939 OK 40, 87 P.2d 127, 129. We hold that 66 O.S. 2001 § 55(D) [22] applies to the instant cases to permit reimbursement to the prevailing Landowners for their reasonable appeal-related attorney fees upon a requisite showing before the trial court on remand that attorney fees have been actually incurred by Landowners because of the condemnation proceeding. See 12 O.S. Supp.2004 § 696.4(C.) (providing that [t]he appellate court shall decide whether to award attorney fees for services on appeal, and if fees are awarded, it shall remand the case to the trial court for a determination of their amount.). Therefore, Landowners' Motion for Appeal-Related Attorneys' Fees is GRANTED to the extent the Landowners have demonstrated the requisite statutory authority for the recovery of appeal-related attorney fees and we hereby REMAND to the trial court for a determination of such sum as in the opinion of the court will reimburse [Landowners] for [their] reasonable attorney . . . fees actually incurred because of the condemnation proceeding in accordance with 66 O.S. § 55(D). ¶ 23 Landowners' Motion for Appeal-Related Costs was separately filed and labeled and included an attached verification including taxable cost items [23] in accordance with Okla.Sup.Ct.R. 1.14(a). Landowners are entitled to recover costs on appeal pursuant to 12 O.S.2001 § 978, since the trial court's judgment against them was reversed in this case. Sunrizon Homes, Inc. v. American Guar. Inv. Corp., 1988 OK 145, 782 P.2d 103, 109. ¶ 24 Landowners seek recovery of the $100.00 fee for designation of the record, which is a fee paid to the district court and is not recoverable in this court. See Spears v. Shelter Mut. Ins. Co., 2003 OK 66, ¶ 15, 73 P.3d 865, 871. Otherwise, Landowners seek recoverable review-and-certiorari-related costs. Thus, Landowners' Motion to tax review-and-certiorari-related costs shall be GRANTED IN PART in the amount of $288.16 to the Lowery Landowners in matter # 98,361, $288.16 to the Whitten Landowners in # 98,362 and $288.16 to the Hyslope Landowner in # 98,363 respectively, and in the amount of $200.00 to the Hobbs Landowners in # 98,531.