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Even Nominal Damages May Justify Attorney Fee Award
Loaded on April 15, 1998
published in Prison Legal News
April, 1998, page 6
The court of appeals for the seventh circuit held that a verdict of only $500 did not, by itself, justify a denial of an attorney fee award, even though the suit broke no new ground in law regarding police abuses. Although not a prison case, the principles enunciated are applicable, …
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More from this issue:
- Rural Prison as Colonial Master, by Christian Parenti
- French Robertson Prisoner Wins Suit
- Texas Warden Not Victim of Staff Assault, by T.Q.
- In Memory - Reverends Ernest Bromley and Maurice McCrackin, by John Perotti
- Mystery of Guard's Death Unlocked, by B K
- From the Editor, by Dan Pens
- Weights Banned in California, by Willie Wisely
- The Limits of the Law, by Mumia Abu-Jamal
- Third Circuit Applies ADA to Prisoners; Supreme Court Grants Review
- Even Nominal Damages May Justify Attorney Fee Award
- $9,500 Award for Involuntary Psychotropic Drugging Affirmed
- MA and WA Parole Suits Not Cognizable Under § 1983
- Folsom New Year's Riot Over Haircut Policy
- Community Notification Upheld by Three Circuits
- $1.1 Million Award in Sexual Assault
- Failure to Protect Informant Claim Set for Trial
- $225,000 Jury Award in CDC Shooting Affirmed
- BOP Sentence Reductions Cannot Be Denied Based Upon Firearm Enhancements
- BJS Reports Prison Litigation Statistics
- PLRA Termination Provisions Constitutional
- Prolonged SHU Confinement May Implicate Liberty Interest But No Damages
- BOP Exceeds Statutory Authority in Denying Sentence Reduction
- News in Brief
- Pretrial Detainees Not Covered by FLSA
- Damage Award and Attorney Fees in Censorship Suit Affirmed
- U.S. Liable for Loss of Prisoner's Property
- 4th Circuit Establishes Detainee Excessive Force Standard
- PA DOC Not 'Victim' for Restitution Purposes
- Heck Applied to Segregation Claims
- No Immunity for Hearing Officer's Failure to Examine CI Credibility
- No Immunity in Jail Suicide for Medical Contractor
- $450,000 Award in Sexual Assault Case Not Excessive
- 5th Cir. Holds IFP Dismissals Are With Prejudice
- No Immunity for Smoke Exposure
- Florida Prisoners Have Property Interest Under DOC Rules
- Refusal to Waive Interest States Claim
- Alaska Computer Printer Ban Questioned
- Conditions in Camden County Jail Unconstitutional
More from these topics:
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- San Diego Guard Who Fatally Shot Fleeing Detainee Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison, July 1, 2026. Police Misconduct, Shootings, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), Excessive Force (Police), Wrongful Use of Force.
- Safety of “The Wrap” Restraint Device Questioned Amid Fatalities and Criticism From Medical Experts, July 1, 2026. Police Misconduct, Failure to Treat, Restraints, Police--Excessive Force, Federal Legislation.
- Jury Awards Over $24.4 Million to Kentucky Prisoner Exonerated After 22 Years, Bringing Total Payout for Him and Co-Defendant to Almost $45 Million, June 1, 2026. Police Misconduct, Wrongful Conviction, Monell Liability, Fabrication of Evidence, Failure to Disclose.
- Seventh Circuit Upholds Liability but Reverses Damages in Lawsuit Over Illinois Warden and Investigator Using Prisoner as Bait to Catch Staff Member Raping Her, May 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Failure to Protect (General), Damages, Evidentiary Ruling, Cruel and Unusual Punishment.
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- Ohio Supreme Court Awards Prisoner $1,000 for Denied Records Request, April 1, 2026. Administrative Exhaustion (PLRA), Damages, Public Records, Public Records Act.
- “I Have Nothing to Hide”: Why Innocent People Should Never Talk to Police, March 1, 2026. Police Misconduct, Actual Innocence/Claim of Innocence, Interviews/Debriefing.
- Michigan Claws Back $1.2 Million Paid to Wrongfully Convicted Former Prisoner, Feb. 1, 2026. Police Misconduct, Wrongful Imprisonment, Qualified Immunity, Forensic Sciences, Fabrication of Evidence.
- Utah Supreme Court Announces Framework for Analyzing Combined Brady and Napue Violations, Affirms Postconviction Relief in Capital Murder Case, Jan. 1, 2026. Police Misconduct, Prosecutor/Attorney General Misconduct, Perjury/Perjured Testimony, Constructive/Imputed/Presumed knowledge, Brady/Giglio/Jencks Act Issues.

