Opinion ID: 2545293
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Debtor

Text: Having determined that a co-debtor's proportionate share of a common obligation under the Act should be calculated on a per capita basis, we now turn to the issue as to whether Silverberg should be considered when determining the debtors among whom the debt should be divided. Colantuno argues that the term debtor should include all joint-debtors, even those, like Silverberg, who were never named as parties in the suit. We disagree. The court of appeals properly held that Silverberg should not be included in the calculation to determine the proportionate shares of the joint debtors under the Act. Tenenbaum, 3 P.3d at 460. As the court of appeals noted, the supplemental attorney fees at issue here were generated after Silverberg had settled with Tenenbaum, and thus represented the cost of pursuing collection against only Isham, Colantuno and Dikeou. Id. Indeed, because Silverberg had settled prior to Tenenbaum's bringing the suit that resulted in the award entered in January 1996, he was never a debtor to Tenenbaum with regard to the judgment for supplemental attorney fees accrued from January 1996 through March 1997. Thus, the court of appeals properly held that the judgment should be apportioned only among Isham, Colantuno and Dikeou on a per capita basis. Because Isham had been fully released from his obligation, Colantuno and Dikeou were properly found to be liable for each of their one-third shares of the judgment. A contrary conclusion would defeat the policy behind settlement. Generally, settlement is intended to avoid the time and expense of litigation, including attorney fees. Thus, to attribute attorney fees to Silverberg generated during the litigation that followed Silverberg's settlement would conflict with the policy behind settlement.