Opinion ID: 852076
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Is the Award Defective for Want of Special Findings?

Text: A trial court may award attorneys' fees as part of the cost to the prevailing party if the court finds that either party advanced claims or defenses that were frivolous, unreasonable, groundless, or otherwise litigated in bad faith. Ind.Code § 34-52-1-1(b). Nearly identical language allows a court to award attorneys' fees to a governmental entity. Ind.Code § 34-13-3-21 (using costs instead of cost). Turner argues that both fee-shifting statutes require a court to make an express finding that a claim or defense was frivolous, unreasonable, groundless, or litigated in bad faith, which the trial court did not do here. (Appellant's Br. at 16-18; Appellant's App. at 6-7.) Turner cites no case so holding, and such authority as exists cuts the other way. A trial court most commonly must enter special findings of fact on the written request of any party in the case of issues tried on facts without a jury. Ind. Trial Rule 52(A); see also Ind. High Sch. Athletic Ass'n v. Schafer, 913 N.E.2d 789 (Ind. Ct.App.2009). In such cases, a party who wants the court to enter special findings merely has to ask for them. Cf. Ind. Trial Rule 49 (abolishing special jury verdicts and interrogatories). Absent a proper request for special findings under Indiana Trial Rule 52(A), however, a trial court need enter special findings only in certain circumstances, such as when a statute or rule expressly requires them. See, e.g., Ind. Trial Rule 59(J); see also Walker v. Pullen, 943 N.E.2d 349 (Ind.2011). In Walker, a plaintiff filed a motion to correct error after obtaining a favorable verdict, arguing that the jury's award was inadequate and clearly erroneous given the facts before the jury. Id. at 350-51. The court granted the motion and ordered a new trial, but it entered only its general findings that the plaintiff incurred medical bills for treatment that was appropriate for his injuries, that those bills totaled $12,520, that the jury awarded less than that amount, and that the jury's award contained no award for pain and suffering. Id. at 352. We reversed, noting that the language of Indiana Trial Rule 59(J) expressly provides that [w]hen a new trial is granted because the verdict, findings or judgment do not accord with the evidence, the court shall make special findings of fact upon each material issue or element of the claim or defense upon which a new trial is granted. Such finding shall indicate whether the decision is against the weight of the evidence or whether it is clearly erroneous as contrary to or not supported by the evidence; if the decision is found to be against the weight of the evidence, the findings shall relate the supporting and opposing evidence to each issue upon which a new trial is granted; if the decision is found to be clearly erroneous as contrary to or not supported by the evidence, the findings shall show why the judgment was not entered upon the evidence. Id. at 352-53 (quoting Ind. Trial Rule 59(J) (emphasis added)). By contrast, other Trial Rules simply allow a court to take some action if the court finds some fact or circumstance. See, e.g., Ind. Trial Rule 27(B) (finding perpetuation of testimony proper to avoid failure or delay of justice before ordering deposition to perpetuate testimony); see also Ind. Trial Rule 32(A)(3) (finding witness unavailable before allowing use of deposition for any unenumerated purpose); Ind. Trial Rule 65(E) (finding TRO must issue immediately to prevent injury before issuing TRO without hearing or security); Ind. Trial Rule 81(D) (finding good cause before amending local rules off schedule). But we typically do not think of these actions as being so grave or serious that a requirement that a court find something first should necessarily require the court to justify its actions in detailed writing. Cf. Walker, 943 N.E.2d at 352 (special findings required to temper use of extraordinary and extreme power to set aside jury verdict, to ensure decision based on complete analysis of law, and to ensure public confidence in judicial process). As our prior case law confirms, when a trial court grants a petition for attorneys' fees without making special findings of fact, we look to the basis of the prevailing party's petition and view the court's order as an implicit legal conclusion consistent with the main thrust of the petitionthat the claim or defense at issue was frivolous, unreasonable, groundless, or litigated in bad faith. Emergency Physicians, 714 N.E.2d at 1115, adopted in part, 718 N.E.2d at 757; see also St. Mary Medical Ctr. v. Baker, 611 N.E.2d 135 (Ind.Ct.App.1993). Here, the Town's petition asserts that all four of Turner's claims were frivolous, unreasonable, and groundless. Consistent with the foregoing rules and case law, the trial court's grant of the petition was adequate as to form. At oral argument, Turner cited Inlow v. Henderson, Daily, Withrow & Devoe, 804 N.E.2d 833 (Ind.Ct.App.2004), for the proposition that a trial court must enter special findings before awarding fees. There, the trial court granted a petition for attorneys' fees, and the Court of Appeals affirmed. Id. at 837-38, 842. It is not as though the trial court in Inlow failed to enter special findings and the Court of Appeals reversed the award of attorneys' fees as a result. Rather, the trial court happened to enter special findings, and the Court of Appeals affirmed without ever remarkinglet alone holding anythingon the necessity of doing so. Id. at 839-42. As for whether there were sufficient grounds to warrant granting the petition, we note that a unanimous Court of Appeals reviewed the record before the trial court and sustained the trial court's ruling. We summarily affirm their disposition on these points. Ind. Appellate Rule 58(A).