Opinion ID: 2378106
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: The Award of Attorney's Fees and Costs

Text: [¶ 16] The district court's authority to award a spouse attorney's fees and costs is found in Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 20-2-111 (LexisNexis 2009): § 20-2-111. Alimony during pendency of action; allowances for prosecution or defense of action; costs. In every action brought for divorce, the court may require either party to pay any sum necessary to enable the other to carry on or defend the action and for support and the support of the children of the parties during its pendency. The court may decree costs against either party and award execution for the costs, or it may direct costs to be paid out of any property sequestered, in the power of the court, or in the hands of a receiver. The court may also direct payment to either party for such purpose of any sum due and owing from any person. [Emphasis added.] [¶ 17] In Weiss v. Weiss, 2009 WY 124, ¶¶ 8-9, 217 P.3d 408, 410-11 (Wyo. 2009), we explained: Although Wyoming generally subscribes to the American rule regarding the recovery of attorney's fees, under which rule each party pays his or her own fees, a prevailing party may be reimbursed for attorney's fees when provided for by contract or statute. Forshee v. Delaney, 2005 WY 103, ¶ 7, 118 P.3d 445, 448 (Wyo.2005). In determining the reasonableness of the fees requested, our trial courts are to follow the federal lodestar test, which requires a determination of (1) whether the fee charged represents the product of reasonable hours times a reasonable rate; and (2) whether other factors of discretionary application should be considered to adjust the fee either upward or downward. Id. at ¶ 7, at 448; Shepard v. Beck, 2007 WY 53, ¶ 17 n. 5, 154 P.3d 982, 989 (Wyo.2007). The statute relied upon to award attorneys' fees in this case was Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 20-2-111, the provisions of which are set forth above. See supra ¶ 6 n. 2. The statute does not require the party requesting an award of fees to prove financial necessity, nor is the award meant to punish the non-prevailing party. Black v. De Black, 1 P.3d 1244, 1252 (Wyo.2000); Hendrickson v. Hendrickson, 583 P.2d 1265, 1268 (Wyo. 1978). [T]he decision to award attorney's fees under Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 20-2-111 rests within the sound discretion of the district court. Russell v. Russell, 948 P.2d 1351, 1355-56 (Wyo.1997); Rocha v. Rocha, 925 P.2d 231, 234 (Wyo.1996). The party seeking to recover attorneys' fees bears the burden of establishing the reasonableness of the fees requested. Id. Seherr-Thoss v. Seherr-Thoss, 2006 WY 111, ¶ 12, 141 P.3d 705, 712 (Wyo.2006). [Emphasis added.] [¶ 18] In Black v. De Black, 1 P.3d 1244, 1252-53 (Wyo.2000) we spoke directly to the use of the word necessary as used in the above-cited statute: The purpose of attorney fees in a divorce case is to assist the party, as necessary, so that the party can carry on or defend the action. Hendrickson v. Hendrickson, 583 P.2d 1265, 1268 (Wyo.1978); Prentice v. Prentice, 568 P.2d 883, 886 (Wyo.1977). The party seeking to recover attorney's fees bears the burden of demonstrating the reasonableness of the fees and must submit an itemized bill reflecting the time and rate charged. Pekas v. Thompson, 903 P.2d 532, 536 (Wyo.1995) (quoting Hinckley v. Hinckley, 812 P.2d 907, 915 (Wyo.1991)). Even though Hessel [f/k/a DeBlack] and Black are both independently wealthy, the statute does not require that Hessel establish financial necessity for the award of attorney's fees and costs. Rocha, 925 P.2d at 234. Hessel attached an itemized list of her expenses to her Reply to Defendant's Response and Objection to Plaintiff's Bill of Costs and Attorney's Fees. That document was sufficient to establish reasonableness in light of the expenditures Black made to create his elaborate presentations in this case. Hessel's expenses under the circumstances were reasonable and necessary to a defense against the attack mounted by Black on the Decree of Divorce. We find in this record more than sufficient information to permit the district court reasonably to decide as it did, and nothing indicates that the decision was arbitrary or capricious. In the absence of an abuse of discretion, we affirm the order awarding Hessel attorney fees and costs. Also see Rocha v. Rocha, 925 P.2d 231, 234 (Wyo.1996). [¶ 19] In this case Husband did not challenge the reasonableness of the attorney's fees. He suggests that the Court has written the word necessary out of the statute by judicial construction/fiat. Husband contends that Wife had ample money to pay her own attorney's fees. We believe Husband has missed the mark completely in this analysis. The award of attorney's fees in cases such as this is not designed to punish one party or the other, it is only designed to allow for the payment of such attorney's fees, within the sound discretion of the district court, in those circumstances where the expenditures become necessary for a party because that party has no choice but to incur the expenses in defending against, or pursuing, a complaint for divorce. In such cases a party does not act voluntarily to incur rather large attorney's fees such as those at issue here, but rather because such expenditures are made essential given the circumstances. See Webster's Third New International Dictionary, necessary, 1511 (1986). The remainder of Husband's argument merely points out various cases wherein this Court either did or did not affirm an award of attorney's fees. For more than a decade we have applied this explanation of judicial discretion: Judicial discretion is a composite of many things, among which are conclusions drawn from objective criteria; it means a sound judgment exercised with regard to what is right under the circumstances and without doing so arbitrarily or capriciously. Vaughn v. State, 962 P.2d 149, 151 (Wyo. 1998). The district court did not abuse its discretion by ordering an award of attorney's fees to Wife.