Opinion ID: 3167552
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: introduction

Text: ¶1 This is the second appeal arising out of a claim against Westgate Resorts under the Utah Pattern of Unlawful Activity Act. In the first appeal, we confirmed an arbitration panel’s award of damages against Westgate. Westgate Resorts, Ltd. v. Consumer Prot. Grp., LLC, 2012 UT 56, ¶ 34, 289 P.3d 420. Westgate now challenges WESTGATE v. CONSUMER PROTECTION GROUP Opinion of the Court another decision by the same panel, namely its award of attorney fees to Mr. Adel and Consumer Protection Group (collectively, CPG). ¶2 Westgate alleges two distinct errors in the panel’s fee award. First, it argues that the arbitration panel had no authority to award attorney fees for the court proceedings that confirmed the panel’s decision on the merits. Second, it argues that the arbitration panel manifestly disregarded the law by awarding attorney fees in excess of the amount the prevailing plaintiffs were actually obligated to pay their lawyers. ¶3 We agree with Westgate’s first argument, but not its second. The Utah Uniform Arbitration Act does not authorize an arbitration panel to award attorney fees for court proceedings confirming the panel’s own decisions, so the panel’s award of fees for those proceedings is void. 1 But because the Utah Pattern of Unlawful Activity Act allows prevailing plaintiffs to recover a reasonable attorney fee—without regard to the amount the plaintiffs have actually contracted to pay—we confirm the panel’s award of attorney fees expended during arbitration. We also grant CPG’s request for attorney fees for this appeal.