Opinion ID: 1742971
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: prospective attorney fees.

Text: In affirming the trial judge's denial of Appellant's motion for an advance of prospective attorney's fees, the Court of Appeals held (1) a trial judge is not authorized under KRS 403.220 to order one party to advance a sum to the other party for prospective attorney's fees, and (2) even if such authority existed, the trial judge did not abuse his discretion in denying the motion. The motion was for an unspecified sum of money to retain an attorney to represent Appellant during the custody phase of the litigation. Thus, even if the denial of the motion was error, the issue is now moot. Appellant did not retain an attorney, but proceeded pro se; so there is no attorney's fee to be retrospectively reimbursed. Nor could the issues of custody and child support be relitigated since the child is now over the age of eighteen. However, whether a trial judge may order a party to a divorce proceeding to advance prospective attorney's fees to the other party is an issue capable of repetition, yet evading review. Lexington Herald-Leader Co., Inc. v. Meigs, Ky., 660 S.W.2d 658, 661 (1983) (quoting Nebraska Press Ass'n v. Stuart, 427 U.S. 539, 546, 96 S.Ct. 2791, 2797, 49 L.Ed.2d 683 (1976)). Thus, we will address the issue even though it is now moot in this case. Appellant cites Shepherd v. Mann, Ky., 490 S.W.2d 760 (1973), as authority for ordering an advance of prospective attorney's fees. There, the trial judge had ordered the husband to advance the sum of $300.00 for the wife's attorney's fee and threatened to use his contempt powers to enforce the order. The case reached this court on an appeal from a denial of a petition for a writ of prohibition. We did not directly address the trial judge's authority to order the advance payment of fees, but held only that the husband had not shown that payment of the $300.00 fee would cause him great or irreparable injury and, thus, the case was an inappropriate one for application of the extraordinary remedy of a writ. Thus, the issue before us remains one of first impression in this jurisdiction. At the outset, we note that the vast majority of jurisdictions, whether by specific statutory provision or by judicial construction, hold that it is within a trial court's discretion to order a party to a divorce action to pay prospective attorney's fees to enable the opposing party to maintain or defend the action. A. Nadel, Annotation, Authority of Divorce Court to Award Prospective or Anticipated Attorney's Fees, 22 A.L.R.4th 407, 413-19 (1983). Specifically in Svetich v. Svetich, 425 N.E.2d 191 (Ind.Ct.App.1981), the Indiana Court of Appeals interpreted Indiana's version of Section 313 of the Uniform Act [4] as authorizing an award of prospective attorney's fees. See also State ex rel Carlson v. Aubuchon, 669 S.W.2d 294 (Mo.Ct.App.1984). KRS 403.220 provides in pertinent part that [t]he court from time to time . . . may order a party to pay a reasonable amount for the cost to the other party of maintaining or defending any proceeding under this chapter and for attorney's fees. We deem this language broad enough to authorize an order requiring one party to advance prospective attorney's fees necessary to enable the other party to obtain adequate representation. In finding that the statute clearly refers to legal services that have already been rendered (slip op. at 16-17), the Court of Appeals emphasized the immediately following language in the statute, viz: including sums for legal services rendered and costs incurred prior to the commencement of the proceeding or after entry of judgment. We interpret this language not as excluding an award of prospective attorney's fees, but as authorizing awards of fees for services rendered other than during the actual litigation of the case. The purpose of KRS 403.220 is to prevent one party to a divorce action from controlling the outcome solely because he or she is in a position of financial superiority, whether because he/she has control of the marital assets or because he/she has the more lucrative position of employment. In that circumstance, the legislature has authorized the presiding judge to order the financially superior party to bear the cost of the litigation, including the other party's reasonable attorney's fees. If that authority were limited to attorney's fees already incurred, access to the courts could be effectively denied to a party with insufficient funds to retain counsel in the first place. Cf. Boddie v. Connecticut, 401 U.S. 371, 91 S.Ct. 780, 28 L.Ed.2d 113 (1971); Francis v. Taylor, Ky., 593 S.W.2d 514 (1980) (access to divorce courts cannot be denied those who are unable to pay filing fees and court costs). As with reimbursement of fees already incurred, an assignment of prospective attorney's fees rests in the sound discretion of the trial court. In the latter instance, however, this discretion must be even more carefully exercised. In awarding prospective attorney's fees, the trial court should consider the possibility that the case might be settled or that the parties might reconcile before the awarded fee is actually earned. The statutory language from time to time anticipates the appropriateness in a particular case of requiring that the fee, whether prospective or already incurred, be paid in increments rather than in a lump sum. Uniform Marriage and Divorce Act, supra note 3, § 313, at 450 (Official Comment). This is not a case where the trial judge operated under a misconception that he lacked authority to order an advance of prospective attorney's fees. Compare Adkins v. Adkins, Ky.App., 574 S.W.2d 898 (1978). He simply overruled the motion. We note, however, that Appellant did not even advise the judge what sum she needed to retain counsel for the custody phase of the trial. Presumably, the attorney Appellant hoped to hire required a retainer fee. If so, that fact and the amount of the requested retainer should have been communicated to the family court judge. The statute does not require the judge to guess or estimate what amount is requested, but only to determine whether the amount requested is reasonable.