Opinion ID: 1750318
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: it was error for the chancellor to award attorney's fees to the appellee.

Text: The chancellor awarded Beverly Smith $300.00 in attorney's fees. As far as this Court can tell, there is no evidence in the record concerning attorney's fees. An award of attorney's fees in a contempt case is proper. Stauffer v. Stauffer, 379 So.2d 922, 924 (Miss. 1980). A chancellor's discretion in making an attorney's fee award is not unlimited. In McKee v. McKee, 418 So.2d 764 (Miss. 1982), this Court enumerated certain factors to be considered in making such an award: In determining an appropriate amount of attorneys fees, a sum sufficient to secure on competent attorney is the criterion by which we are directed. The fee depends on consideration of, in addition to the relative financial ability of the parties, the skill and standing of the attorney employed, the nature of the case and novelty and difficulty of the questions at issue, as well as the degree of responsibility involved in the management of the cause, the time and labor required, the usual and customary charge in the community, and the preclusion of other employment by the attorney due to the acceptance of the case. 418 So.2d at 767 (citations omitted). McKee dealt with a much larger award than that in the case at bar, but there was at least some evidence presented in support of the award. This Court reversed the trial court's award and remanded for further hearings. McKee is followed by Bumgarner v. Bumgarner, 475 So.2d 455 (Miss. 1985), where an award of $2000.00 was reversed and remanded because there was practically no evidence presented as to the guidelines supplied in McKee. Still, there was more evidence presented in Bumgarner than there was in the case at bar. See also Carpenter v. Carpenter, 519 So.2d 891 (Miss. 1988) ($2800.00 award reversed and rendered where not justified by the evidence). Because there was no evidence presented to the Court in regard to attorney fees by Beverly Smith and because for this Court to approve attorney fees in this instance would be to reward Beverly Smith even though she admittedly refused to carry out the order of the court, this Court will reverse as to attorney's fees. AFFIRMED IN PART; REVERSED AND RENDERED IN PART. ROY NOBLE LEE, C.J., HAWKINS and DAN M. LEE, P.JJ., and PRATHER, ROBERTSON, SULLIVAN, ANDERSON and BLASS, JJ., concur.