Opinion ID: 197547
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: If a prevailing party succeeds on all (or

Text: 4. substantially all) of her claims, but receives no significant 11 relief (e.g., the jury awards only nominal damages), the trial judge sometimes may deny fees altogether because this scenario often highlights the plaintiff's failure to prove actual, compensable injury. Farrar v. Hobby, 506 U.S. 103, 115 (1992) (denying fees in a case in which the plaintiff sought $17,000,000 in damages and received $1); see also id. at 114 (affirming that the `technical' nature of a nominal damages award or any other judgment . . . does bear on the propriety of fees awarded under 1988). Farrar, then, signifies that fees need not be bestowed if the plaintiff's apparent victory is purely technical or de minimis. Id. at 117 (O'Connor, J., concurring).6 5. Sometimes, the plaintiff will prevail on all her