This is federal lawsuit filed by a civil rights attorney claiming that local government policies of settling all civil rights actions for a "lump sum, including all attorney's fees" conflicts with a federal law, 42 U.S.C. Section 1988, providing for payment of attorney's fees by the government when a plaintiff prevails. The policies have cost him over $2 million in vaporized statutory fees, forcing him him out of business. He claims that the policies violate the Supremacy Clause (Article VI) of the U.S. Constitution, unduly interfere with his right to practice law, and deprive him of due process and equal protection.

The district court denied the lawyer's application for a preliminary injunction. That denial was appealed. The record on preliminary injunction appeal follows below. This appeal was dismissed as moot when the lawsuit was dismissed.

The district court dismissed the lawsuit holding that the lawyer lacked standing to challenge the settlement policies. That dismissal is on appeal. The record on merits appeal follows below.

                       DOCUMENT                                                  DATE FILED
 

Initial Complaint	October 27, 1998
Motion for Preliminary Injunction	October 29, 1998
Points & Authorities In Support of Motion	October 29, 1998
Declaration of Michael R. Mitchell	October 29, 1998
(Proposed) Preliminary Injunction	October 29, 1998 (lodged)
First Amended Complaint	November 16, 1998
Labor/Community Consent Decree	November 16, 1998
Declaration of E. Richard Larson	November 16, 1998
Declaration of Donald Cook	November 16, 1998
Declaration of David Kyle	November 16, 1998
City Opposition to Motion	November 23, 1998
County Opposition to Motion	November 23, 1998
Reply to City Opposition	November 30, 1998
Reply to County Opposition	November 30, 1998
Order Denying Preliminary Injunction	January 4, 1999  - Entered January 7, 1999
Notice of Appeal	February 5, 1999
Brief of Appellant	March 22, 1999
Opposing Briefs	Due May 5, 1999
Appellant's Reply Brief	Due 14 days later

The above appeal has been dismissed by the Ninth Circuti Court of Appeals. 

  DOCUMENT                                                 DATE FILED
 

Initial Complaint	October 27, 1998
First Amended Complaint	November 16, 1998
City and Hahn Motion to Dismiss [Link inoperative]	Dec. 3, 1998
County and Fellman Motion to Dismiss [Link inoperative]	Dec. 7, 1998
Opposition to Co./Fellman Motion [Link inoperative]	Jan. 4, 1999
Opposition to City/Hahn Motion [Link inoperative]	Jan. 4, 1999
Report and Recommendation of Magistrate Judge	Mar. 4, 1999
Plaintiff's Objections to Magistrate's Report	Mar. 12, 1999
Final Report and Recommendation of Magistrate Judge	Mar. 31, 1999
Order Adopting and Approving Magistrate's Reports	F:Mar. 31, 1999 E:Apr. 2, 1999
Judgment of Dismissal	F:Mar. 31, 1999 E:Apr. 2, 1999
Notice of Appeal	April 29, 1999
Appellant's Opening Brief	August 15, 1999
City Appellees' Brief [Not yet input] County Appellee's Brief [Not yet input]	September 14, 1999
Appellant's Reply to City Brief  Appellant's Reply to County Brief	14 days after Appellees' Briefs filed

Argument: No oral argument was allowed

                                                           Unpublished Ninth Circuit Decision
 

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Last revised October 26, 2000