Opinion ID: 888265
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: ¶ 3 In July of 2004, MDOT initiated a condemnation action regarding a portion of American Bank's real property. After a hearing in 2005, the District Court dismissed MDOT's complaint with prejudice and awarded American Bank all necessary expenses of litigation. It ordered American Bank to submit a request for reasonable and necessary attorney fees, expert witness fees, exhibit costs, and court costs. ¶ 4 American Bank did not submit a request, but filed affidavits of two of its attorneys in support of award of attorney fees and necessary expenses of litigation. Triel D. Culver's affidavit stated, among other things, that a reasonable hourly rate for his work and that of attorney Cliff Edwards was $250, and a reasonable hourly rate for work performed by attorney Lori Armstrong was $125. Edwards' affidavit stated his hourly rate was $450, but he lowered it to $250 to be consistent with what other lawyers were charging in eminent domain cases in Flathead County. Edwards attached copies of the affidavits of local attorneys Frank B. Morrison, Jr., and Dale L. McGarvey regarding attorney fees for Wade J. Dahood's services in another Flathead County eminent domain case. Those affidavits addressed the affiants' hourly rates and Dahood's experience, skill and background. ¶ 5 MDOT filed a motion to retax costs, objecting to American Bank's requested attorney fees. Relying on § 70-30-306(2), MCA, MDOT asserted American Bank's requested hourly rates exceeded the customary hourly rates for an attorney's services in Flathead County, which MDOT posited were $150 or $175. In support, MDOT submitted affidavits of local attorneys Marshall Murray and Richard DeJana. American Bank opposed MDOT's motion, and submitted the affidavits of Douglas Wold and Sean Framptonalso attorneys in Flathead Countyaddressing the complexity of the case and Edwards' and Culver's respective experience and skill, as well as the City of Whitefish's stipulation to a $250 hourly rate in a different condemnation case. MDOT replied. ¶ 6 The District Court held a hearing, at which DeJana and Murray testified in support of a $150 hourly rate. No other witnesses testified. The District Court subsequently entered an order stating thatabsent any challenge to the number of hours at issue, the hourly rates for Armstrong's work or any coststhe sole issue in MDOT's challenge to American Bank's requested $250 hourly rate for work by Edwards and Culver was the meaning of the phrase customary hourly rates in § 70-30-306(2), MCA. Rejecting MDOT's argument that § 70-30-306(2), MCA, sets forth a unique standard, the District Court applied jurisprudential factors and awarded fees based on hourly rates of $250 for Edwards, $200 for Culver, and $125 for Armstrong. MDOT appeals.