Opinion ID: 6326729
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Denial of Attorneys’ fees to Ozmun

Text: Finally, Ozmun argues that the district court erred in denying his request for attorneys’ fees under § 1692k(a)(3). As noted by the district court, courts may refuse to award attorneys’ fees requested under § 1692k(a)(3) to prevailing plaintiffs where special circumstances would render such an award unjust. Davis v. Credit Bureau of the South, 908 F.3d 972, 975 (5th Cir. 2018) (per curiam) (quoting Romain v. Walters, 856 F.3d 402, 407 (5th Cir. 2017)). The district court found such special circumstances to exist given its determination that Ozmun, via his attorneys, acted in bad faith. Because we have found that determination to be in error, we consider Ozmun’s assertion that the private settlement he ultimately received constitutes a “successful action to . . . enforce liability under the FDCPA” and that he may thus recover attorneys’ fees from the Debt Collection Defendants. 15 U.S.C. § 1692k(a)(3). Our circuit has not previously decided whether a private settlement renders the action “successful” under § 1692k(a)(3). Here, as in Tejero, the district court did not have an opportunity to evaluate this question because it erroneously rejected Ozmun’s fee application on the basis of his purportedly 16 Case: 19-50397 Document: 00516252490 Page: 17 Date Filed: 03/24/2022 No. 19-50397 sanctionable conduct. Now that we have corrected that mistake, we follow Tejero’s lead and remand this question for the district court’s consideration in the first instance of whether Ozmun is a prevailing party entitled to attorneys’ fees under the FDCPA. See Tejero, 955 F.3d at 462-63 (“True, private settlements generally do not suffice for fee-shifting statutes like 42 U.S.C. § 1988(b). But there are textual differences between the FDCPA and § 1988(b).”) (internal citations removed); see also Ultra Petroleum Corp. v. Ad Hoc Comm. of Unsecured Creditors of Ultra Res., Inc. (In re Ultra Petroleum Corp.), 943 F.3d 758, 766 (5th Cir. 2019) (“[W]e are a court of review, not of first view.”) (quotation omitted).