C.I.T. CORPORATION, PLAINTIFF-APPELLEE,
v.
PATRICIA A. NELSON, DEFENDANT-APPELLANT
AI-generated. These summaries, headnotes, and key points are machine-generated and may contain errors or omissions. Always verify against the full opinion text below. Not legal advice.
An order resolving contractual issues but reserving attorneys' fees is not final if the fees are integral to the merits of the case.
CIT sued Nelson for a deficiency on a sales contract and obtained a judgment. The court reserved the issue of attorneys' fees, which Nelson appealed a…
The full statement of facts, procedural history, and disposition for this case are member content.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence© FLexlaw, Inc. — AI-generated enrichments are proprietary. All rights reserved.
Explore caselaw by topic → Browse Piecemeal Litigation cases and more on FLexlaw
BY THE COURT:
CIT Corporation (CIT) filed this civil action against Patricia A. Nelson (Nelson) seeking to collect a deficiency arising from a conditional sales contract executed by Nelson’s ex-husband and guaranteed by Nelson. The guaranty agreement provided, in' part, for the payment for “all losses, costs, attorneys’ fees or expenses” which may be suffered by consequence of default. The district court entered an order on February 21, 1984 granting summary judgment in favor of CIT and against Nelson in the amount of $114,773. The court further ordered CIT to submit affidavits requesting attorneys’ fees within ten days and Nelson to submit counteraffidavits within seven days thereafter. On March 16, 1984, the court ordered Nelson to pay CIT an additional $8,232 for attorneys’ fees. Nelson filed a timely motion for new trial or vacation of judgment under Fed.R.Civ.P. 59 and 60. The court denied the motion on April 2, 1984. Nelson filed a notice of appeal on May 1, 1984.
CIT moves to dismiss the appeal as untimely, because it was filed more than 30 days after the February 21, 1984 judgment of the district court. Fed.R.App.P. 4(a)(1). The issue for decision, therefore, is whether an order resolving all contractual issues except attorneys’ fees is final, therefore requiring immediate appeal.
The finality of an order, which determines all the issues except for the award of attorneys’ fees “depends on the circumstances of each case.” 1 McQurter v. City of Atlanta, 724 F. 2d 881, 882 (11th Cir.1984). The McQurter court adopted the following analysis:
When attorney’s fees are similar to costs ... or collateral to an action ... a lack of determination as to the amount does not preclude the issuance of a final appeala-ble judgment on the merits. When, however, the attorney’s fees are an integral part of the merits of the case and the scope of relief, they cannot be characterized as costs or as collateral and their determination is a part of any final, ap-pealable judgment.
Id. at 882 (quoting Holmes v. J. Ray McDermott & Co., 682 F. 2d 1143, 1146 (5th Cir.1982), cert. denied, 459 U.S. 1107, 103 S.Ct. 732, 74 L.Ed.2d 956 (1983)).
This distinction accords with the court’s analysis in White v. New Hampshire Department of Employment Security, 455 U.S. 445, 451, 102 S.Ct. 1162, 1166, 71 L.Ed.2d 325 (1982). There, the court focused on whether the attorneys’ fees were “compensation for the injury giving rise to an action.” Id. at 452, 102 S.Ct. at 1166.
The instant contract provides for the recovery of attorneys’ fees as part of CIT’s compensation for injury upon default. In this situation, the attorneys’ fees are an integral part of the merits of the case. The district court’s order was not final until the attorneys’ fee award was determined. Nelson therefore filed a timely notice of appeal, and the motion to dismiss is accordingly
DENIED.
. Several other circuits have adopted the rule that all attorney’s fees requests are collateral to the main action. See e.g., International Association of Ironworkers Local Union 75 v. Madison Industries, Inc., 733 F. 2d 656 (9th Cir.1984); Memphis Sheraton Corp. v. Kirkley, 614 F. 2d 131, 133 (6th Cir.1980). We reject such a bright-line test because it conflicts with the court’s analysis in White, 445 U.S. at 451, 102 S.Ct. at 1166, and unnecessarily promotes piecemeal litigation and multiple appeals. See generally Federal Civil Appellate Jurisdiction: An Interlocutory Restatement 47-2 Law & Contemp.Probs. 13 (1984) for an extensive discussion of current federal interlocutory appeals policy and practice.
Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus
Citator
Cited By
-
Exch. Nat'l Bank OF Chicago v. Daniels, 763 F.2d 286 (7th Cir. 1985)…certainty, which a good jurisdictional rule should. A rule turning on the source of the entitlement to fees would be far too uncertain. We recognize that several courts have answered this question the other way. For example, C.I.T. Corp. v. Nelson, 743 F. 2d 774 (11th Cir.1984), holds that an appeal from an order awarding fees brings up the whole case when the fees are provided by contract rather than statute. The Eleventh Circuit thought that contractual fees are “part of [the prevailing party’s] compensat…
-
Myles Osterneck v. E.T. Barwick Indus., Inc., 825 F.2d 1521 (11th Cir. 1987)…“an integral part of the merits of the case” and therefore “ ‘compensation for the injury giving rise to an action,’ ” a motion for the inclusion of attorney’s fees is a Rule 59(e) motion and tolls the time period for appeal. C.I.T. Corp. v. Nelson, 743 F. 2d 774, 775 (11th Cir.1984) (quoting White, 455 U.S. at 452, 102 S.Ct. at 1166-67); accord Beckwith Machinery Co. v. Travelers Indemnity Co., 815 F. 2d 286 (3d Cir.1987). But see Exchange Nat’l Bank v. Daniels, 763 F. 2d 286, 292-94 (7th Cir.1985). It can…
-
O.R. Sec., Inc. v. Prof'l Planning Assocs., Inc., 857 F.2d 742 (11th Cir. 1988)…e time O.R. filed its Notice of Appeal. Because we find that PPA's request for attorney’s fees is collateral to the main action, the district court’s Order of Dismissal is a final, appealable order under 28 U.S.C. § 1291. See C.I.T. Corp. v. Nelson, 743 F. 2d 774 (11th Cir.1984). . We also find that the district court did not err in conducting a summary procedure. As discussed in Legion Insurance Co. v. Insurance General Agency, Inc., 822 F. 2d 541, 543 (5th Cir.1987): The district court was not required b…
Previewing 3 of 10 citing cases — full citator treatment, depth of discussion, and citing context are member features.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAuthorities Cited
- White v. N.H. Dep't of Emp. Sec., 455 U.S. 445 (U.S. 1982)
- Holmes v. J. RAY McDERMOTT & Co., Inc., 682 F.2d 1143 (5th Cir. 1982)
- McQURTER v. City OF Atlanta, 724 F.2d 881 (11th Cir. 1984)
- Johnson v. Cent. Valley Sch. Dist. No. 356, 459 U.S. 1107 (U.S. 1983)
- White v. Bd. of Trs. of W. Wyo. Cmty. Coll. Dist., 459 U.S. 1107 (U.S. 1983)
- Memphis Sheraton Corp. v. Kirkley, 614 F.2d 131 (6th Cir. 1980)
- Int'l Ass'n OF Bridge v. Madison Indus., Inc., 733 F.2d 656 (9th Cir. 1984)