Opinion ID: 1192074
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: the trial court should reconsider the issue of attorney fees for dissolving the restraining order in light of durrant v. christensen

Text: Foster asserts that the trial court should have awarded him attorney fees incurred in dissolving the restraining order pursuant to I.R.C.P. 65(c). We vacate the denial of attorney fees and remand this issue to the trial court for clarification and further consideration in light of Durrant v. Christensen, 117 Idaho 70, 785 P.2d 634 (1990). In denying the award of attorney fees Foster incurred in obtaining the dissolution of the restraining order, the trial court ruled that Foster was not entitled to fees that were incurred in the trial on the merits. The trial court concluded that the dissolution was incidental to the resolution of issues involved in the trial on the merits. In making this decision the trial court did not have the benefit of our opinion in Durrant that was issued several months later. In Durrant, we said: Rule 65(c) allows the trial court to award costs and reasonable attorney fees to any party who is found to have been wrongfully enjoined or restrained. Durrant and Sellers argue that the costs and fees awarded to Christensen were attributable in defending the merits of the case and therefore the provisions of I.R.C.P. 65(c) should not apply... . Idaho case law interpreting Rule 65(c) allows recovery of attorney fees if legal services necessary to defend the merits of the case were identical to services performed in dissolving a restraining order. Thus, assuming there was an adjudication on the merits, recovery of attorney fees would be appropriate provided the trial court found the restraining order and merit issues were identical... . Id. at 73, 785 P.2d at 637 (citations omitted). One of the allegations of the verified complaint upon which the restraining order was based was that the Rexburg Decree did not include Silverstein's predecessors in interest and did not determine their rights to the waters of Crandall Springs II and Sorensen Creek. Following the trial, the trial court decided that these allegations were not correct. We are unable to determine how the trial court reached the conclusion that the dissolution of the restraining order was only incidental to the resolution of the merits of this case. Therefore, we vacate the denial of attorney fees and remand this issue to the trial court for clarification and for further consideration in light of Durrant.