United States Ninth Circuit

District court's award to plaintiff of costs and attorneys' fees in a 42 USC section 1983 action is vacated and remanded, where: 1) the district court failed to explain how it used the lodestar method to reduce plaintiff's fees and how it calculated plaintiff's reduced costs; 2) the district court failed to explain why it denied costs to prevailing defendants; and 3) district courts must show their work when calculating attorney's fees and specify reasons for not awarding costs, and this is all the more important in cases where, as here, there are many overlapping claims and a very mixed result.

Appellate Information

• Decided 02/11/2013
• Published 02/11/2013

Judges

• MURGUIA

Court

• United States Ninth Circuit

Counsel