Court Opinion

ID: 9606192
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 02:48:04.644325+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:02:33.851092
License: Public Domain

Judge GREENE
concurring.
I disagree with the majority’s holding that plaintiff was entitled to $150 in attorney’s fees “as an expense proximately and foreseeably incurred by plaintiff because of defendant’s breach of contract.” Whether denominated “costs,” “damages” or “expenses,” a trial court may only award legal fees pursuant to express statutory or contractual authority or pursuant to its exercise of certain equitable or supervisory powers. See generally Parker v. Lippard, 87 N.C. App. 43, 45, 359 S.E. 2d 492, 494 (1987) (denying attorney’s fees as “cost” or “expense” of foreclosure and citing cases barring fees as general “damage”). The parties’ written agreement does require defendant to indemnify plaintiff for “all loss, damage, claims, liabilities, or obligations” arising out of certain partnership operations and debts. However, the scope of this indemnifying language is not comprehensive enough to encompass reimbursing plaintiffs attorney’s fees. See Cooper v. H. B. Owsley & Son, Inc., 43 N.C. App. 261, 269, 258 S.E. 2d 842, 847 (1979); U.S. Fidelity and Guar. Co. v. Davis Mechanical Com tractors, Inc., 15 N.C. App. 127, 129, 189 S.E. 2d 553, 554 (1972); see generally Hightower, North Carolina Law of Damages, Sec. *39117-10 n.19 (1981). Therefore, absent express authority, the trial court erroneously awarded plaintiff $150 attorney’s fees.
However, I agree that defendant’s lone assignment of error completely fails to address any aspect of the damages awarded by the trial court. As defendant has therefore waived review of this error under N.C.R. App. P. 10(a), I concur in the majority’s disposition of the case.