Court Opinion

ID: 9782439
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-30 18:33:00.726873+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:34:59.731670
License: Public Domain

Justice EISMANN,
Concurring in Dissent.
I concur in Justice Burdick’s dissent, and write only to add additional information regarding the legislative intent. Subsection (4) of the statute currently states that “there shall be taxed and allowed to the claimant ... a reasonable amount to be fixed by the court as attorney fees.” The issue is what the legislature intended by the word “claimant.” The word could refer either to the person who had a claim to recover damages *271or the person who has a claim to recover attorney fees. If it means the latter, then it would be the same as the prevailing party. I know of no statute in Idaho that provides for an award of attorney fees to the losing party in litigation. When this statute was initially introduced in the house, it provided that “there shall be taxed and allowed to the prevailing party ... a reasonable amount to be fixed by the court as attorney fees.” It was amended in the house to change “prevailing party” to “claimant.” I assume that the change in wording was intended to cause a change in meaning. Therefore, it seems most probable to me that claimant means the person who has a cause of action for damages rather than the person who has a claim for attorney fees as the prevailing party in the litigation.