Hawaii Firm Gets Backing in SCOTUS Bid for Labor Department Fees

A Hawaii architectural company that successfully defended its employee stock ownership plan from a Labor Department lawsuit received support in its effort to have the US Supreme Court force the government to pay attorneys’ fees.

The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit’s recent decision declining to assess attorneys’ fees against the department is “inappropriately exacting” and out of line with other circuits and congressional intent in passing the Equal Access to Justice Act, the American Society of Appraisers said in a Wednesday amicus brief. The Ninth Circuit’s standard fails to appropriately deter the government from bringing crippling ...