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Lawrence v. Westerhaus

United States Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit
Nov 30, 1984
749 F.2d 494 (8th Cir. 1984)

Summary

upholding district court's denial of fees following remand of case to fiduciary to consider additional evidence

Summary of this case from Satterwhite v. Metropolitan Life Insurance Co.

Opinion

No. 84-2003.

Submitted October 30, 1984.

Decided November 30, 1984.

Raymond Howard, St. Louis, Mo., for appellant.

Robert W. Stewart, St. Louis, Mo., for appellees.

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri.

Before HEANEY, BRIGHT, and ROSS, Circuit Judges.


Joan Lawrence brought an action for declaratory judgment against the Board of Administrators of the Lincoln St. Louis Pension Plan For Certain Hourly Employees contending that the administrators had wrongfully denied her request for disability benefits under the Plan. In a bench trial, the district court declined to award benefits, but remanded the case to the fiduciary to consider additional evidence. Lawrence thereafter moved for an award of attorneys' fees under 29 U.S.C. § 1132(g) (1982) which authorizes a court, in its discretion, to award reasonable attorneys' fees and costs to either party in ERISA actions. The district court denied the motion and Lawrence appeals. We remand.

The decision whether to award attorneys' fees under ERISA is discretionary, not mandatory. See Fase v. Seafarers Welfare and Pension Plan, 589 F.2d 112, 116 (2d Cir. 1978). In exercising that discretion, a court should consider the following factors:

(1) the degree of the opposing parties' culpability or bad faith; (2) the ability of the opposing parties to satisfy an award of attorneys' fees; (3) whether an award of attorneys' fees against the opposing parties could deter other persons acting under similar circumstances; (4) whether the parties requesting attorneys' fees sought to benefit all participants and beneficiaries of an ERISA plan or to resolve a significant legal question [sic] regarding ERISA itself; and (5) the relative merits of the parties' positions.

Iron Workers Local No. 272 v. Bowen, 624 F.2d 1255, 1266 (5th Cir. 1980). In addition, a court may properly deny a claim for attorneys' fees solely on the ground that the plaintiff obtained no relief under the statute. See Fase, 589 F.2d at 116.

In this case we believe that the denial of attorneys' fees may have been premature because the plaintiff may still succeed on the merits of her action, either in the administrative proceedings or otherwise. Accordingly, while agreeing that the district court properly denied the request for fees at this time, we direct that the district court modify its order to permit plaintiff to reapply for fees should she ultimately succeed in her claim for disability benefits.

Affirmed, modified, and remanded.


Summaries of

Lawrence v. Westerhaus

United States Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit
Nov 30, 1984
749 F.2d 494 (8th Cir. 1984)

upholding district court's denial of fees following remand of case to fiduciary to consider additional evidence

Summary of this case from Satterwhite v. Metropolitan Life Insurance Co.

In Lawrence, this court listed five factors to be considered in deciding whether to award attorney's fees: (1) the degree of culpability or bad faith which can be assigned to the opposing party, (2) its ability to pay, (3) the potential for deterring others in similar circumstances, (4) whether the moving party sought to benefit all plan participants or beneficiaries or to resolve a significant legal question regarding ERISA, and (5) the relative merits of the parties' positions.

Summary of this case from Mansker v. TMG Life Insurance

In Lawrence v. Westerhaus, 749 F.2d 494 (8th Cir. 1984) (per curiam), the Eighth Circuit set forth a list of factors that a court should consider in weighing whether to award attorney's fees under § 1132(g)(1): (1) the opposing parties' culpability or bad faith; (2) the opposing parties' ability to satisfy an award of attorney's fees; (3) whether a fee award could act as a deterrent; (4) whether the prevailing party sought to benefit all participants and beneficiaries of an ERISA plan or to resolve a significant legal question; and (5) the relative merits of the parties' positions.

Summary of this case from Nelson v. Frana Cos.

laying out the five factors

Summary of this case from Langston v. Wilson McShane Corp.
Case details for

Lawrence v. Westerhaus

Case Details

Full title:JOAN LAWRENCE, APPELLANT, v. CARL L. WESTERHAUS, EDWARD A. SHEPARD AND…

Court:United States Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit

Date published: Nov 30, 1984

Citations

749 F.2d 494 (8th Cir. 1984)

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