Sunday, November 24, 2013

Marek v. Chesny case brief

Marek v. Chesny case brief summary
473 U.S. 1 (1985)


CASE SYNOPSIS
Petitioner police officers sought review of the judgment of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit awarding postoffer costs to respondent administrator pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 68 after the administrator recovered a judgment less than the rejected settlement offer in his action under 42 U.S.C.S. § 1983 and state law.

CASE FACTS
The administrator did not accept the police officers' timely settlement offer of $ 100,000 and received an award of $ 60,000. He then filed a request for $ 171,692 in costs, including attorney's fees and costs incurred after the settlement offer.

DISCUSSION

  • The U.S. Supreme Court held that Fed. R. Civ. P. 68 did not require that a settlement offer itemize the respective amounts being tendered for settlement of the underlying substantive claim and for costs. 
  • The term "costs" in Rule 68 was intended to refer to all costs properly awardable under the relevant substantive statute or other authority. 
  • Thus, absent contrary congressional expressions, where the underlying statute defined "costs" to include attorney's fees, such fees were to be included as costs for purposes of Rule 68. 
  • The administrator, as a prevailing party in a 42 U.S.C.S. § 1983 action, was entitled to be awarded attorney's fees as part of the costs pursuant to the Civil Rights Attorney's Fees Awards Act of 1976, 42 U.S.C.S. § 1988. 
  • Because Congress expressly included attorney's fees as "costs" available to a plaintiff in a 42 U.S.C.S. § 1983 suit, such fees were subject to the cost-shifting provision of Fed. R. Civ. P. 68.
CONCLUSION
The Court reversed the judgment of the court of appeals.

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