Opinion ID: 874115
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: The Board and the Sheriff are entitled to attorney fees on appeal.

Text: Allied requests attorney fees on appeal under the settlement agreement, I.C. § 12-120(3), and I.C. § 12-121. The respondents likewise request attorney fees on appeal under the settlement agreement, I.C. § 9-344, I.C. § 12-117, I.C. § 12-120(3), and I.C. § 12-121. We hold that the respondents are the prevailing parties on appeal and are entitled to attorney fees pursuant to I.C. § 12-117. In a civil action between a political subdivision and a person, the prevailing party is entitled to reasonable attorney fees if the nonprevailing party acted without a reasonable basis in fact or law. I.C. § 12-117(1). For purposes of the statute, a private organization such as Allied is a person. I.C. § 12-117(4)(a). Allied misrepresented controlling precedent in its briefing, and also presented multiple arguments in its briefing that it abandoned at oral argument. Further, Allied unreasonably pursued this appeal even though it failed to comply with the notice requirement of the ITCA and the bond requirement of I.C. § 6-610. Jenkins v. Barsalou, 145 Idaho 202, 208, 177 P.3d 949, 955 (2008). Allied's conduct on appeal was not reasonably based in either fact or law, and we therefore award to respondents attorney fees associated with this appeal.