Opinion ID: 887645
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Official Capacity Claims

Text: ¶ 38 The District Court awarded attorneys' fees to the Council Members for Germann's official capacity claims on the grounds that longstanding jurisprudence dictates that there is no need for plaintiffs to bring official capacity claims when plaintiffs can sue the municipality directly. The U.S. Supreme Court stated over 20 years ago that plaintiffs no longer need to bring official capacity claims against local government officials. Kentucky v. Graham (1985), 473 U.S. 159, 167, n. 14, 105 S.Ct. 3099, 3106, n. 14, 87 L.Ed.2d 114. The Court reasoned that official capacity claims generally represent only another way of pleading an action against an entity of which an officer is an agent. Graham, 473 U.S. at 165, 105 S.Ct. at 3105. Germann's official capacity claims against the Council Members constitute causes of action that do not provide for personal liability against the Council Members. The City remains ultimately liable for the actions of its employees in official capacity claims. Graham, 473 U.S. at 169, 105 S.Ct. at 3107. The Ninth Circuit has determined that causes of action that do not provide for liability against the named defendants constitute unreasonable claims, entitling the prevailing defendant to attorneys' fees. Morse v. North Coast Opportunities, Inc. (9th Cir.1997), 118 F.3d 1338, 1343. We agree. ¶ 39 It appears that reasonable diligence and inquiry by Germann into the law would have revealed that her official capacity claims not only were unnecessary, but inadequate to provide for personal liability against the Council Members. Margolis v. Ryan (9th Cir.1998), 140 F.3d 850, 854. At the very least, the Council Members demonstrated to Germann that clearly established law dictated that her official capacity claims were duplicative and unnecessary when they filed their brief in support of their motion for summary judgment on July 16, 2003. It was thereafter unreasonable for Germann to persist in her official capacity claims against the Council Members. Thomas, 410 F.3d at 647. The District Court did not abuse its discretion in awarding the Council Members attorneys' fees for Germann's § 1983 official capacity claims and for Germann's pendent state law claims. Mateyko, 924 F.2d at 828. We reverse and remand, however, for the District Court to limit the amount of attorneys' fees to the amount that the Council Members incurred in defending against Germann's official capacity claims and pendent state law claims after July 16, 2003.