Opinion ID: 2714922
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Attorney fees statutes in small claims

Text: As a general rule in Washington, each party must bear its own attorney fees in civil actions. Cosmopolitan Eng'g Grp., Inc. v. Ondeo Degremont, Inc., 159 Wn.2d 292, 296, 149 P.3d 666 (2006). However, the legislature has carved out certain exceptions to this general rule. Williams, 174 Wn.2d at 63. In the context of civil actions, the question of costs and attorney fees are dealt with in a series of provisions under chapter 4.84 RCW. Wachovia, 165 Wn.2d at 488. These provisions generally award attorney fees to the prevailing party in an action, but the term prevailing party is not defined in the same manner in every statute. !d. Whether an individual is a prevailing party after voluntary dismissal turns on whether the claimant meets the conditions of the specific statute that authorizes the fees. Beckman, 96 Wn. App. at 362. Courts have long approached RCW 4.84.250-.300 as a statutory scheme where each statute is given force in the context of related rules. See, e.g., Davy v. Moss, 19 Wn. App. 32, 33-34, 573 P.2d 826 (1978) (citing four provisions in their entirety to clarify the meaning ofaction for damages in chapter 4.84 RCW); Valley v. Hand, 38 Wn. App. 170, 684 P.2d 1341 (1984) (reading four provisions to determine prevailing party on appeal), overruled on other grounds by Williams, 174 5 AllianceOne Receivables Mgmt., Inc. v. Lewis, No. 87445-0 Wn.2d 57; Beckmann v. Spokane Transit Auth., 107 Wn.2d 785,733 P.2d 960 (1987) (reading three statutory provisions to determine whether pleading notice is required); Hertz v. Riebe, 86 Wn. App. 102, 107, 936 P.2d 24 (1997) (reading RCW 4.84.290 in the broader context of the statutory scheme); Hanson v. Estell, 100 Wn. App. 281, 997 P .2d 426 (2000) (reading three statutory provisions to clarify notification rule for settlement offers); LRS Elec. Controls, Inc. v. Hamre Constr., Inc., 153 Wn.2d 731, 107 P.3d 721 (2005) (reading five statutory provisions to award attorney fees on appeal to defendant after summary judgment); Williams, 17 4 Wn.2d at 6162 (reading four statutory provisions in arbitration case). RCW 4.84.250 is the starting point for determining which party, if any, is entitled to attorney fees in small claim actions. The prevailing party in a small claims • action may request attorney fees [n]otwithstanding any other provisions of chapter 4.84 RCW and RCW 12.20.060. RCW 4.84.250. RCW 4.84.260 states that a plaintiff is the prevailing party and eligible for attorney fees when the recovery, exclusive of costs, is as much as or more than the amount offered in settlement by the plaintiff. (Emphasis added.) Under RCW 4.84.270, a defendant receives fees if the plaintiff ... recovers nothing, or if the recovery, exclusive of costs, is the same or less than the amount offered in settlement by the defendant. (Emphasis added.) Under RCW 4.84.280, settlement offers must be made at least 10 days before a trial begins and may not be conveyed to the judge until after final judgment is 6 AllianceOne Receivables Mgmt., Inc. v. Lewis, No. 87445-0 rendered. Only after the judgment can a court assess whether the plaintiff or defendant meets the definition of a prevailing party by examining a recovery after judgment and comparing it to settlement offers. 2 This contextual interpretation presents a plain language reading of the complete statutory scheme and is a logical analysis of a statute designed to promote settlement and avoid trials.