182.090 State agency to pay attorney fees and expenses when court finds for petitioner and that agency acted unreasonably
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182.090 State agency to pay attorney fees and expenses when court finds for petitioner and that agency acted unreasonably.
(1)In any civil judicial proceeding involving as adverse parties a state agency, as defined in ORS 291.002, and a petitioner, the court shall award the petitioner reasonable attorney fees and reasonable expenses if the court finds in favor of the petitioner and also finds that the state agency acted without a reasonable basis in fact or in law.
(2)Amounts allowed under this section for reasonable attorney fees and expenses shall be paid from funds available to the state agency. The court may withhold all or part of the attorney fees from any award to a petitioner if the court finds that the state agency has proved that its action was substantially justified or that special circumstances exist which make the award of all or a portion of the attorney fees unjust.
(3)As used in this section, “civil judicial proceeding” means any proceeding, other than a criminal proceeding as defined in ORS 131.005 (7), conducted before a court of this state. [1981 c.871 §2; 1983 c.763 §61]