Opinion ID: 427200
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Prevailing Party Test Applied to Defendants

Text: Section 706(k) of Title VII provides: 9 In any action or proceeding under this subchapter the court, in its discretion, may allow the prevailing party, other than the Commission or the United States, a reasonable attorney's fee as part of the costs, and the Commission and the United States shall be liable for costs as a private person. 10 (Emphasis added). As is well known, Supreme Court decisions, most notably Christiansburg Garment Co. v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 434 U.S. 412, 98 S.Ct. 694, 54 L.Ed.2d 648 (1978), have grafted onto the permissive and discretionary language of the statute, Christiansburg, 434 U.S. at 418, 98 S.Ct. at 699, further requirements for the recovery of attorney's fees which differ radically depending on whether the party deemed prevailing is plaintiff or defendant. Prevailing civil rights plaintiffs are to recover fees in all but special circumstances, 434 U.S. at 417, 98 S.Ct. at 698, citing Albemarle Paper Co. v. Moody, 422 U.S. 405, 95 S.Ct. 2362, 45 L.Ed.2d 280 (1975). Prevailing defendants may recover only upon a finding that the plaintiff's claim is frivolous, unreasonable, groundless, made in bad faith, or persisted in after its character as one of these has become clear. 434 U.S. at 421, 98 S.Ct. at 700. 11 Both decisional authority and the unequivocal language of Sec. 706(k) itself, however, require a plaintiff, equally with a defendant, to demonstrate that he is the prevailing party as a threshold for recovery of attorney's fees. Our Court's test of status as prevailing party in civil rights cases, laid down early and reaffirmed in case after case, declares: The proper focus is whether the plaintiff has been successful on the central issue ... as exhibited by the fact that he has acquired the primary relief sought. Iranian Students Ass'n v. Edwards, 604 F.2d 352, 353 (5th Cir.1979) (Goldberg, J.) (emphasis added). See also Taylor v. Sterrett, 640 F.2d 663, 669 (5th Cir.1981) (identical language, citing Edwards ); Coen v. Harrison County School Bd., 638 F.2d 24, 26 (5th Cir.1981) (identical language, citing Edwards and other cases). 2 We have applied this test of prevailing party status equally to both plaintiffs and defendants. See EEOC v. Kimbrough Investment Co., 703 F.2d 98, 103 (5th Cir.1983) (awarding costs to employer as prevailing party but denying attorney's fees under Christiansburg; United States v. Allegheny-Ludlum Industries, 558 F.2d 742, 743 (5th Cir.1977) (withdrawn in part, 568 F.2d 1073, 1074 (5th Cir.1978)). 12 While it may not easily lend itself to further articulation, this single test provides a commonsense, practical yardstick of success. In many if not most lawsuits, whether tried or settled, 3 it is possible to compare the allegations made with the results obtained and pick out a winner: a plaintiff who carried the day on his major claim, a defendant who defeated the major thrust of the suit. In other cases it may be that neither party could fairly be said to have carried the day, and in such event there should be no fee award to either. 13 Thus, the district court below was required by Section 706(k) and case precedent to weigh the claims for relief advanced by the EEOC against the results obtained by it to determine whether Commonwealth was the prevailing party as the initial step in determining whether Commonwealth was entitled to a fee award. As the next step, it was required to determine whether the claims advanced by the EEOC were frivolous, vexatious or brought to harass Commonwealth. 4 However, the order issued by the trial court granting summary judgment for the EEOC sets forth no grounds for its decision, nor were any opinion, findings, or conclusions of law separately filed. This leaves both this Court and the parties in limbo. Indeed, on appeal Commonwealth argues that the trial court's decision was based on the notion that the res judicata effects of the consent decree barred Commonwealth's claim. Both the undeveloped state of the record and our restricted role as an appellate court prevent us from divining the several grounds on which the district court may have based its ruling. 14 Because of the lack of clarity in the district court's order, and because of the lack of express findings on whether Commonwealth prevailed or whether it is entitled to attorney's fees under Christiansburg, we remand for an evidentiary hearing on these issues. See Neidhardt v. D.H. Holmes Co. Ltd., 701 F.2d 553 (5th Cir.1983) (remanding for determination of defendant's entitlement to attorney's fees under Sec. 706(k) where basis for denial unclear). The judgment of the district court is 15 REVERSED and the cause REMANDED.