Opinion ID: 200845
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The IDEA and HCPA

Text: 9 The IDEA was enacted in 1975 to ensure that disabled children could receive an appropriate education free of cost. 20 U.S.C. § 1400(d)(1)(A). 2 It authorizes students and their parents to enforce this substantive right by filing suit against school departments. Id. § 1415(b). In Smith v. Robinson, 468 U.S. 992, 1014, 104 S.Ct. 3457, 82 L.Ed.2d 746 (1984), the Supreme Court held that Congress had not intended to permit prevailing parties to recover attorneys' fees in IDEA cases. This decision brought a quick response from Congress, with bills filed almost immediately seeking to amend the statute to add an express fee-shifting provision. 10 In 1986, Congress passed the Handicapped Children's Protection Act (HCPA). HCPA was the result of a series of legislative compromises; what began as a simple fee-shifting clause mimicking other federal civil rights statutes evolved into a more complex provision, with multiple restrictions on who could recover fees, when they could be recovered, and the amount of recovery. HCPA's basic authorization for fees provides: 11 In any action or proceeding brought under this section, the court, in its discretion, may award reasonable attorneys' fees as part of the costs to the parents of a child with a disability who is the prevailing party. 12 20 U.S.C. § 1415(i)(3)(B). Several other provisions modify this authorization. If the relief obtained is equivalent to the school system's prior settlement offer, no fees are awarded for services performed after the offer was made: 13 (i) Attorneys' fees may not be awarded and related costs may not be reimbursed in any action or proceeding under this section for services performed subsequent to the time of a written offer of settlement to a parent if — 14 (I) the offer is made within the time prescribed by Rule 68 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure or, in the case of an administrative proceeding, at any time more than 10 days before the proceeding begins; 15 (II) the offer is not accepted within 10 days; and 16 (III) the court or administrative hearing officer finds that the relief finally obtained by the parents is not more favorable to the parents than the offer of settlement. 17 Id. § 1415(i)(3)(D)(i). The exception to this rule applies if the parents were substantially justified in rejecting the offer. Id. § 1415(i)(3)(E). Section 1415(i)(3)(D)(ii) provides in relevant part that attorneys' fees may not be awarded (at the discretion of the state) for work done in mediation conducted before the filing of a formal request for a hearing. In addition, HCPA also provides for a reduction in fees if the court finds that the parents unnecessarily delayed the final resolution of the proceeding. Id. § 1415(f). 18 In 1997, the IDEA was reauthorized via the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997. Pub.L. No. 105-17, 111 Stat. 37 (1997). The legislation left intact the fee-shifting provisions set forth supra, but added new limitations on the recovery of fees for work pertaining to certain IEP team meetings and mediation activities. Id. 19