Court Opinion

ID: 9518527
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 00:55:13.775441+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:29:27.374999
License: Public Domain

*17Lynch, J.
(dissenting). As noted by the majority, this court has held that an award of counsel’s fees to a party represented by a publicly-funded legal service organization was not warranted under a contract that provided for the awarding of attorneys’ fees incurred by the prevailing party. Lincoln St. Realty Co. v. Green, 374 Mass. 630, 632 (1978). There, the issue whether a person so represented incurred attorneys’ fees within the meaning of a statute similar to the one applicable here was noted, but not decided. Supra at 14. Lincoln St. Realty Co. v. Green, supra at 632 & n.2. The majority rely primarily upon decisions of the Federal courts in deciding this issue in favor of the plaintiff. The principal statute construed in these decisions, 28 U.S.G. § 2412 (d)(1)(A) (1976 & Supp. 1980), does contain what I regard as the crucial modifier, “incurred.” This court, however, has interpreted the word “incur” in a different context to mean “ ‘to become liable to or subject to; to bring down upon oneself; as, to incur debt, danger, displeasure, penalty, etc.,’ and ‘to become through one’s own action liable or subject to; to bring upon oneself.’” Commonwealth v. Benoit, 346 Mass. 294, 298 (1963). We have often stated that “every word of a legislative enactment is to be given force and effect.” Commissioner of Pub. Works v. Cities Serv. Oil Co., 308 Mass. 349, 360 (1941). And the words so used are to be construed according to their natural and ordinary meaning. Chatham Corp. v. State Tax Comm’n, 362 Mass. 216, 219 (1972). Davey Bros. v. Stop & Shop, Inc., 351 Mass. 59, 63 (1966). When faced with such recognition by this court of the accepted meaning of this term, and these often applied principles of statutory construction, I find it impossible to conclude that the Legislature intended that we read the word “incurred” out of the statute for policy reasons, no matter how compelling. There is no question that the plaintiff here has not incurred legal fees in accordance with the commonly accepted usage of that term which this court has acknowledged. The majority fail to give meaning to the express words of the statute. I would, therefore, conclude that no award of fees should have been made in the plaintiff’s favor.