Mercer v. Espy

883 F. Supp. 300, 1995 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5378, 1995 WL 242132
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Indiana
DecidedMarch 24, 1995
DocketNo. S89-243
StatusPublished

This text of 883 F. Supp. 300 (Mercer v. Espy) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Indiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Mercer v. Espy, 883 F. Supp. 300, 1995 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5378, 1995 WL 242132 (N.D. Ind. 1995).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

ALLEN SHARP, Chief Judge.

I. Procedural History

Plaintiffs filed their complaint in this case under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 in 1989 contesting an [301]*301Indiana program which intercepted the tax refunds of persons who had been overpaid food stamps. In 1993, this court, granted plaintiffs’ motion for partial summary judgment, on the grounds that the notices were unlawful and that,the program violated due process. After the court entered a final judgment in August, 1993, the state Defendants appealed. The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit reversed this court, holding that the program did not violate due process and that the state was not required to return the refund which had been intercepted. Mercer v. Espy, 40 F.3d 893 (7th Cir.1994). On remand, this court ordered that judgment be entered for the plaintiffs on their first, second, third, and fifth claims, that judgment be entered for the defendants on the fourth and sixth claims, and that the seventh, eighth and ninth claims be dismissed without prejudice. Plaintiffs have now renewed their motion for attorneys’ fees under 42 U.S.C. § 1988..

II. Facts

Plaintiffs Amended Complaint alleged a violation of 42 U.S.C. § 1983, contained nine claims and requested nine forms of relief. Claim 1 asserted that the defendants had violated the Food Stamp Act in implementing the tax intercept program because the notices sent failed to advise the plaintiffs of their options to reduce the amount of food stamps received. The second claim stated that the defendants violated the Food Stamp Act in that the notices sent failed to advise plaintiffs of the differences between various types of claims and the implications of each claim in arranging for repayment. Claim 3 alleged that defendants violated the Food Stamp Act in that it provides no authority for tax referred interception. Claim 4 maintained that the tax referred intercept program violated the due process clauses of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution in that it constituted a taking of property without prior hearing. The fifth claim asserted that the notices used by the defendants violated the due process clauses and equal protection clauses of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments because the notices failed to adequately inform plaintiffs of their rights under the Food Stamp Act. Claim 6 stated that Defendant Magnant, who was the administrator of the Indiana Department of Public Welfare, violated the due process and equal protection clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment by her failure to issue clear instructions to the department staff on implementation of the tax intercept program. Claim 7 alleged that Defendant Magnant violated the due process and equal protection clauses by her failure to publish department policy on the tax interception program. The eighth claim maintained that Defendant Magnant had violated 7 C.F.R. 273.18(b), and the ninth claim asserted that Defendant Magnant had violated 7 C.F.R. 273.18(e)(l)(ii). Plaintiffs requested that the court find the action should proceed as a class action, that the court issue a preliminary and permanent injunction against defendants enjoining them from enforcing the tax intercept program, that the court enter a declaratory judgment finding the tax intercept program in violation of the United States Constitution and the Food Stamp Act, that the court issue a writ of mandamus to the defendant United States Secretary of Agriculture requiring him to implement the Food Stamp program in Indiana in compliance with statutory, regulatory and Constitutional requirements, that the court direct the defendants to develop new forms and notices, that the court require the defendants to issue notice to the plaintiffs explaining the relief ordered by the court, that the court require the defendants to provide retroactive compensatory relief to the plaintiffs, that the court award the plaintiffs attorneys’ fees pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1988, and such other relief as the court deemed appropriate.

In response to the plaintiffs’ complaint, the defendants voluntarily developed new forms and notices in relation to the tax intercept program. This court issued a preliminary injunction against the tax intercept program in 1990 and granted conditional class action status in 1991. Additionally, this court granted partial summary judgment to the plaintiffs in 1993, holding that the notices were unlawful, that the tax interception program violated due process, and that the state should return the intercepted refunds. As stated above, the Seventh Circuit reversed the summary judgment as to the due process [302]*302and return of refund issues. On remand this court entered judgment for plaintiffs on the notice issues and entered judgment for defendant on the due process issues of the interception program itself. This court dismissed the seventh, eighth, and ninth claims on plaintiffs’ motion. Because the defendants had already amended the forms and notices, this court did not grant any declaratory relief. As noted, the Seventh Circuit held that retroactive compensation was inappropriate.

III. Analysis

To award attorney’s fees for actions under 42 U.S.C. § 1988, the plaintiff must be a “prevailing party.” In Farrar v. Hobby, — U.S.-, 113 S.Ct. 566, 121 L.Ed.2d 494 (1992), the Supreme Court held that to “qualify as a prevailing party, a civil rights plaintiff must obtain at least some relief on the merits of his claim. The plaintiff must obtain an enforceable judgment against the defendant from whom fees are sought (citations omitted), or comparable relief through a consent decree or settlement.” — U.S. at -, 113 S.Ct. at 573. The Seventh Circuit has determined that a plaintiff who has obtained relief through defendant’s voluntary action is still a “prevailing party” for purposes of 42 U.S.C. § 1988. Zinn by Blankenship v. Shalala, 35 F.3d 273 (7th Cir.1994). Thus, although the only relief obtained by plaintiffs in this ease was the voluntary change in the form by defendants, that action is sufficient to deem plaintiffs as prevailing parties in this litigation.

Having determined that the plaintiffs are prevailing parties, this court must determine the reasonable attorney’s fees. This decision is entrusted to the court’s sound discretion. Johnson v. Lafayette Fire Fighters’ Ass’n, 857 F.Supp. 1292, 1298 (N.D.Ind.1994). Likewise, the determination as to whether the fees should be reduced by some percentage in relation to plaintiffs’ success in this lawsuit is also within this court’s discretion. Id.

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Related

Hensley v. Eckerhart
461 U.S. 424 (Supreme Court, 1983)
Farrar v. Hobby
506 U.S. 103 (Supreme Court, 1992)
Zinn v. Shalala
35 F.3d 273 (Seventh Circuit, 1994)
Johnson v. Lafayette Fire Fighters' Ass'n Local 472
857 F. Supp. 1292 (N.D. Indiana, 1994)
Bohen v. City of East Chicago
666 F. Supp. 154 (N.D. Indiana, 1987)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
883 F. Supp. 300, 1995 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5378, 1995 WL 242132, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mercer-v-espy-innd-1995.