Opinion ID: 2371971
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Attorney fees and costs award

Text: Finally, Berkson and Malacky challenge the district court's post-judgment order awarding attorney fees and costs to respondents as a sanction, arguing, among other things, that NRS 11.340 clearly authorized the filing of their dismissed complaint and that it therefore cannot be considered frivolous. Respondents, however, argue that the lawsuit was frivolous and that the district court did not abuse its discretion in awarding sanctions. This court reviews a district court's award of attorney fees and costs, as a sanction, for an abuse of discretion. See Nevada Power v. Fluor Illinois, 108 Nev. 638, 646-47, 837 P.2d 1354, 1360 (1992). Here, the district court summarily awarded attorney fees and costs without citation to authority. As noted, NRS 11.340's plain language permitted Berkson and Malacky to refile their claims. Moreover, before this opinion, there was no precedent addressing NRS 11.340, and thus, no reason to anticipate that the statute would be found to be unconstitutional. Accordingly, because appellants' position was supported by NRS 11.340, we conclude that it was an abuse of discretion for the district court to sanction appellants for filing a frivolous claim. Nevada Power, 108 Nev. at 646-47, 837 P.2d at 1360. As a result, we reverse the attorney fees and costs awarded to respondents. [7] We concur: PARRAGUIRRE, C.J., and CHERRY and SAITTA, JJ. PICKERING, J., concurring in part and dissenting in part: I would uphold the district court's dismissal of Berkson's and Malacky's second suit based on claim preclusion and leave NRS 11.340 in peace. Though it does not save Berkson and Malacky, NRS 11.340 had useful service left as a statute-of-limitations savings or tolling provision and does not deserve to be invalidated on separation of powers grounds. Ironically, the separation of powers offense is ours, in judicially repealing a 150-year-old statute that conventional rules of statutory construction say should survive judicial review.