Court Opinion

ID: 9717102
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 06:58:17.757988+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:23:51.286027
License: Public Domain

HOFFMAN, Judge,
concurring and dissenting.
I coneur in the majority's opinion except the portion allowing appellate attorney's fees based upon a contractual provision allowing attorney's fees. The majority relies upon the Supreme Court opinion in Templeton v. Sam Klain & Son, Inc. (1981), Ind., 425 N.E.2d 89 wherein a statutory provision allowing "reasonable attorneys fees" supported an award of appellate attorney's fees. The decision to extend a legislatively sanctioned award of attorney's fees to contract cases is not within the province of the intermediate appellate court.
This Court in Honey Creek Corp. et al. v. WNC Develp. Co. et al. (1975), 165 Ind.App. 141, 152-153, 331 N.E.2d 452, 460 determined that a claim for attorney's fees on appeal, pursuant to a contract provision, was merged into an award of attorney's fees obtained in the judgment at the trial court. Thus, the contract provision would not support successive attempts to collect attorney's fees.