Award of Attorney Fees is Improper Where Litigation Sought Renewal of Grazing Permits Rather than the Grant or Renewal of a License

Posted on October 21, 2010 by David J. McMahon

In Western Watersheds v. Interior Board of Land Appeals, 2010 DJDAR 15784 (9th Cir. 2010), the Ninth Circuit decided a case involving the interplay between the renewal of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) grazing permits and the fee shifting provisions of the Equal Access to Justice Act (“EAJA”).

After the BLM issued decisions renewing grazing permits in Idaho, the Western Watersheds Project, (“Western”) a conservation group, filed administrative appeals of those decisions. In essence, Western alleged that the permits were improperly granted in violation of federal regulations and the National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”). 

An administrative law judge consolidated the appeals and issued a partial stay. This was a substantial victory for Western and, subsequently, the parties entered into a settlement agreement. Western moved for fees and costs under the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA). The EAJA partially waives the sovereign immunity of the United States allowing an award of attorneys’ fees in limited circumstances

The administrative law judge denied the motion for fees in its entirety, and Western appealed to the Interior Board of Land Appeals (Board). The Board affirmed, as did the district court, finding that the “adjudication was for the purpose of granting or renewing a license,” and was not within the purview of the EAJA. Western appealed the decision to the Ninth Circuit.

The Ninth Circuit affirmed the decision of the district court noting that Western’s administrative appeal was to challenge BLM’s renewal of grazing permits. For this reason the EAJA was inapplicable to the proceedings.

Attorney Fees Awards Subject to Offset Litigants' Preexisting Debts to the U.S. Government

Posted on June 21, 2010 by David J. McMahon

 

In Astrue v. Ratliff, 2010 DJDAR 8875 (2010), the United States Supreme Court held that attorney fees awards are properly payable to the litigant, not to her attorney. For this reason, a fee award is subject to an offset where the litigant owed the government a preexisting debt.

Ruby Ree (“Ree”) successfully sued the Social Security Administration (“SSA”) for benefits. Her attorney was Catherine Ratliff (“Ratliff”). Ree filed a successful motion for attorney fees which was not opposed by the government. Before the government reimbursed Plaintiff for the fee award, it discovered Ree owed the United States a debt that predated the award. The government sought an administrative offset against the award. Counsel for the prevailing party, Ms. Ratliff, intervened challenging the offset on the grounds that the fee award belonged to her, as a litigant’s attorney, and thus could not satisfy the litigant’s debts. The district court disagreed, but the appeals court agreed with Ratliff. The issue was then appealed to the United States Supreme Court.

The high court reversed and remanded the decision of the court of appeal. 

The court specifically stated its longstanding view of the term “prevailing party.”  The court noted that in attorney fees statutes that term refers to the “prevailing litigant.” Statutes that mean to distinguish the attorney from the litigant in fees cases do so explicitly. The court also stated that the word “award” in the litigation context means giving or assigning by judicial decree. Here, the Equal Access to Justice Act provides for the court to “award” the “prevailing party” attorney fees. As such, an attorney fees award is payable to the litigant rather than to the attorney. Because the award is properly payable to the litigant it is subject to an offset for the preexisting debt.