Opinion ID: 516020
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: claims for attorneys' fees

Text: 36 Combi alleges that it is entitled to attorneys' fees for its defensethroughout this litigation and asks this Court to find an equitable exception to the long-established American rule. 14 See Alyeska Pipeline Co. v. Wilderness Society, 421 U.S. 240, 95 S.Ct. 1612, 44 L.Ed.2d 141 (1975). Under the American rule, prevailing parties are not entitled to attorneys' fees except in four limited circumstances. 15 The first three of these exceptions are inapplicable to this case. As to the fourth, bad faith or oppressive litigation tactics, the record is simply bereft of any evidence of such conduct. We are unpersuaded of the need to expand the equitable exception to the American rule beyond its currently narrow scope. 37 Combi points to McKeithen v. S.S. FROSTA, 426 F.Supp. 307 (E.D.La.1977) for support of its position on attorneys' fees. McKeithen involved a tragic collision between a tanker and ferry in which seventy-eight commuters died and others sustained serious injury. The district court, sitting in admiralty, ordered the members of the successful plaintiff class to share the cost of the litigation, including attorneys' fees. To support its order, the court invoked the equity power vested in admiralty courts. McKeithen is therefore quite distinguishable from the case before us. 38 Inasmuch as Combi's legal expenses were incurred in defending its own actions against tort claims, our circuit's opinion in Odd Bergs Tankrederi A/S v. S/T GULFSPRAY, 650 F.2d 652 (5th Cir.1981, Unit B) is controlling. Odd Bergs holds that attorneys' fees are unrecoverable in contribution from other alleged tort feasors. Such fees are unrecoverable because each alleged tortfeasor is defending against claims of its own negligence, and as such, stands to benefit directly from a successful defense.