A recent federal court decision highlights just how expensive civil rights litigation can become. In a case against the City of Chicago, a judge approved a $1,500 hourly rate for a prominent civil rights attorney and awarded more than $4 million in attorneys’ fees after the plaintiffs won at trial.
The case involved two individuals whose murder convictions were overturned after they spent more than 16 years in prison. A jury later awarded them a combined $120 million, and the court largely rejected the City’s efforts to reduce the plaintiffs’ fee request. The attorneys sought fees under the Civil Rights Attorney’s Fees Act of 1976, which allows federal courts to award reasonable attorneys’ fees to prevailing parties in certain civil rights lawsuits brought against government officials and public entities.
Illinois school districts face potential awards of attorneys’ fees in civil rights litigation, IDEA claims and a variety of other litigation. That means a district’s financial exposure may extend well-beyond beyond any damages or settlement amount.
The trial court’s award emphasizes the critical importance of close coordination with legal counsel before litigation arrives on your doorstep and preventing disputes from becoming litigation can significantly reduce both legal risk and costs.
Contact any member of our Litigation Practice Group with questions regarding civil rights disputes.
Source:
John Fulton v. Robert Bartik, et al., No. 20 C 3118
Anthony Mitchell v. Robert Bartik, et al., No. 20 C 3119
