Ninth Circuit Decision Makes Virtually All Attorneys’ Fees Incurred by Debtors in the Enforcement of the Automatic Stay Recoverable

In Easley v. Collection Serv. Of Nev., 910 F.3d 1286 (9th Cir. 2018), the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals clarified a prior holding about the scope of attorneys’ fees recoverable for enforcing the automatic stay. In particular, the court decided in In re Schwartz-Tallard, 803 F.3d 1095 (9th Cir. 2015) that reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs incurred in defending a judgment rendered pursuant to Bankruptcy Code Section 362(k). Instead of defending a judgment, Easley successfully appealed an incorrect judgment in his favor. In reaching its decision, the court noted that Section 362(k) operates as a fee-shifting statute and that a fee award should not be diluted by “the time and effort spent on the claim itself,” including successfully challenging an award or defending the same. Accordingly, it appears that virtually all reasonable attorneys’ fees incurred by debtors in the enforcement of the automatic stay may be recoverable damages under 11 U.S.C. § 362(k).