Opinion ID: 2802763
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Highland’s Request for Attorney Fees and Costs

Text: The FOIA provides that any person who is a successful FOIA litigant must be awarded attorney fees and costs. Specifically, West Virginia Code § 29B-1-7 provides: [a]ny person who is denied access to public records requested pursuant to this article and who successfully brings a suit filed pursuant to section five of this article shall be entitled to recover his or her attorney fees and court costs from the public body that denied him or her access to the records. In syllabus point seven of Daily Gazette Co. v. West Virginia Development Office, 206 W.Va. 51, 521 S.E.2d 543 (1999) (hereinafter “Daily Gazette II”), we held: 39 For a person to have brought a suit for the disclosure of public records under the West Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), as permitted by W.Va. Code § 29B­ 1-5 (1977) (Repl.Vol.1998), so as to entitle him/her to an award of attorney’s fees for “successfully” bringing such suit pursuant to W.Va. Code § 29B-1-7 (1992) (Repl.Vol.1998), he/she need not have prevailed on every argument he/she advanced during the FOIA proceedings or have received the full and complete disclosure of every public record he/she wished to inspect or examine. An award of attorney’s fees is proper even when some of the requested records are ordered to be disclosed while others are found to be exempt from disclosure or are released in redacted form. In the final analysis, a successful FOIA action, such as would warrant an award of attorney’s fees as authorized by W.Va. Code § 29B­ 1-7, is one which has contributed to the defendant’s disclosure, whether voluntary or by order of court, of the public records originally denied the plaintiff. Highland contends the circuit court erred in neglecting to address its request for attorney fees and costs. While WVU disagrees, Highland argues it successfully brought this FOIA suit because WVU originally denied it access to any public records, and, WVU was forced to produce more than 2,200 documents in compliance with the circuit court’s November 7, 2012 order. WVU argues that the circuit court’s final ruling that Highland’s FOIA requests were unduly burdensome eliminates its claim for attorney fees and costs. “Typically, we have steadfastly held to the rule that we will not address a nonjurisdictional issue that has not been determined by the lower court.” State ex rel. Clark v. Blue Cross Blue Shield of W.Va., Inc., 203 W.Va. 690, 699, 510 S.E.2d 764, 773 (1998), accord Syl. Pt. 3, Voelker v. Frederick Bus. Props. Co., 195 W.Va. 246, 465 40 S.E.2d 246 (1995). Accordingly, we remand this case for further proceedings to take up Highland’s request for attorney fees and costs in accordance with the guidelines set forth in Daily Gazette II. The circuit court must determine if Highland instituted “a successful FOIA action,” that would warrant such an award as authorized by West Virginia Code § 29B-1-7, and enter an order addressing this request.