Opinion ID: 2997098
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Timeliness of the Students’ Motion

Text: The University first argues that the Students’ request for fees was untimely. The 1996 Order and the 2001 Order, the University argues, were not compatible and established different rules for requesting attorneys’ fees. As a consequence, the University argues, the latter of these orders, the 2001 Order, is controlling and required the Students to make a motion for fees within 30 days after the issuance by this court of its mandate to the district court. Such an interpretation would have made the Students’ motion timely only if 14 No. 03-2314 it were made on or before November 23, 2002. The Students made their motion nearly two months later. The Students argue that the orders are not incompatible, and that the 2001 Order merely reaffirmed the 1996 Order. Each party, the Students argue, could have petitioned for a writ of certiorari from the United States Supreme Court following our decision in Southworth II. The time for filing such a petition runs for 90 days from the date the opinion sought to be reviewed is filed. Supr. Ct. R. 13.1. Thus, according to the Students, a motion for attorneys’ fees was not untimely until 30 days after the expiration of the time during which the Students (or the University) could have sought a writ of certiorari from the Supreme Court. This court’s opinion in Southworth II was filed on October 1, 2002 and an amended decision was filed the next day. Ninety days later was December 31, 2002 (counting from the date the amended decision was filed). The parties, therefore, had until January 30, 2003 to file a motion for costs and fees. By such a calculation, the Students’ motion, filed on January 27, was timely. Our resolution of this issue is guided by the broad deference given to a district court in its interpretation of its own orders. “That court is in the best position to interpret its own orders.” In re Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific R.R. Co., 860 F.2d 267, 272 (7th Cir. 1988). We will not reverse a district court’s decision in these circumstances “ ‘unless the record clearly shows an abuse of discretion.’ ” Id. (quoting Arenson v. Chicago Mercantile Exch., 520 F.2d 722, 725 (7th Cir. 1975)). We think this deference is particularly important where the district court is interpreting an order that is (at least in part) aimed at managing post-trial scheduling issues. Cf. Smith v. Village of Maywood, 970 F.2d 397, 399 (7th Cir. 1992) (per curiam) (“We have emphasized the need for flexibility and good sense in interpreting time limits on attorney’s fee petitions.”). No. 03-2314 15 The district court did not abuse its discretion. The district court interpreted its order in such a way that the application would be timely only after the parties had exhausted all appeals (including a petition for a writ of certiorari) or had forgone an opportunity to appeal, thus permitting the application for fees to be all-inclusive. We have approved such an approach to attorneys’ fees before. In Village of Maywood, we discussed approvingly one district court judge’s approach to the Northern District of Illinois’ Local Rule 46. That local rule requires the filing of an application for fees within 90 days of a “final judgment.” The district court’s approach was that a final judgment for the purpose of fee petitions included the consideration of appeals. Id. This court noted that “[d]elaying the filing of fee petitions cuts down on multiple petitions and time wasted on petitions that may be reversed on appeal.” Id. The district court’s interpretation of its orders in this case was motivated by the same consideration: “[t]o wait thirty days until the time for appeal expires is no burden on either party and may save judicial resources and the expenditure of fees.” Southworth, 96-C-292-S, slip op. at 3. The situation is similar here. The University has not argued that it was prejudiced or burdened by having the district court consider the fee petition in early 2003 rather than late 2002. The petition for fees was timely.