Opinion ID: 2625597
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 11

Heading: Post-judgment interest on attorney fees

Text: The Waddells argue that they were entitled to post-judgment interest on their attorney fees award. We agree. NRS 17.130(1) provides for interest to be granted on all judgments and decrees, rendered by any court of justice, for any debt, damages or costs. We have never directly addressed the issue of whether the recipient of an attorney fees award is entitled to post-judgment interest on that award. However, we have held that a district court judgment includes both damages and costs; thus, prejudgment interest is available for costs incurred by the prevailing party. [29] The prevailing view among other jurisdictions is that attorney fees awards are entitled to post-judgment interest. [30] The Supreme Court of Ohio recently recognized that the modern trend . . . favors the awarding of post-judgment interest on attorney fees as a general rule. [31] That court adopted the modern trend because an award of post-judgment interest on attorney fees properly recognize[s] the time value of money by making the prevailing party truly whole and preventing the nonprevailing party from enjoying the use of money that no longer rightfully belongs to it. [32] Further, in Powers v. United Services Automobile Association, we held that the prevailing party is entitled to post-judgment interest on punitive damages awards. [33] We explained that [t]he purpose of post-judgment interest is to compensate the plaintiff for loss of the use of the money awarded in the judgment without regard to the various elements that make up the judgment. [34] For the same reason, we conclude that the prevailing party may recover post-judgment interest on an attorney fees award.