Section 26 Attorney Fees

• Library: Employment Discrimination 2008

The plaintiff, if the prevailing party, is entitled to recover a reasonable attorney fee. 29 U.S.C. § 216(b); Doyne v. Union Elec. Co.,
755 F. Supp. 866 (E.D. Mo. 1991). For a comprehensive discussion on attorney fees, see Whitson v. LM Services, Inc., No. 4:01CV1744 SNL, 2003 WL 685873 (E.D. Mo. Feb. 20, 2003).

Under 29 U.S.C. § 216(b) of the ADEA, an award of attorney fees is authorized to prevailing plaintiffs, but not to prevailing defendants. Cova v. Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of St. Louis, Inc., 574 F.2d 958, 962
(8^th Cir. 1978); Hoover v. Armco, Inc., 915 F.2d 355 (8^th Cir. 1990). Attorney fees may be awarded to prevailing defendants in ADEA cases only under the bad-faith exception to the American rule that the prevailing party may not, in the absence of statutory authority, recover attorney fees. Id. at 357. Furthermore, a federal employee who prevails at an administrative proceeding on a claim of age discrimination is not...