Opinion ID: 546101
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Was Alizadeh's Claim Frivolous and Unreasonable?

Text: 11 Alizadeh maintains that the district court erred in finding that her suit was frivolous and unreasonable under the standard of Christiansburg Garment Co. v. EEOC, 434 U.S. 412, 98 S.Ct. 694, 54 L.Ed.2d 648 (1978). However, she has failed to provide this Court with a transcript of the trial proceedings. Because Alizadeh contends that the court's finding in this respect was unsupported by the evidence, she had the burden of including in the record a transcript of the evidence pertinent to the finding in question. Fed.R.App.P. 10(b)(2); see, e.g., Archie v. Christian, 812 F.2d 250, 252 (5th Cir.1987). Alizadeh asserts in her brief to this Court that she did not furnish a transcript because she could not afford to do so. Rule 24, Fed.R.App.P., permits a party to seek to appeal in forma pauperis. Alizadeh chose not to take this route, and, significantly, never moved here or below to have a free transcript provided 3 ; as a result, there is no excuse for her failure to provide this Court with a transcript of the trial from which the challenged finding arose. Alizadeh's statement of issues under Fed.R.App.P. 10(b)(3) does not substitute for a transcript when one is necessary to resolve the issues, as it is here. Rule 10(b)(3) provides only for a statement of the issues, not of the evidence. Cf. Richardson v. Henry, 902 F.2d 414 (5th Cir.1990) (financial inability to provide transcript does not make transcript unavailable within meaning of Fed.R.App.P. 10(c)). We therefore do not pass on Alizadeh's contention in this regard.