Supreme Court of Connecticut
Siriwat Singhaviroj v. Board of Education of the Town of Fairfield
May 17, 2011301 Conn. 1
Summary
The court affirmed a $3,000 attorney-fee award to defendants who prevailed in a civil-rights action under § 1983. It held that a prevailing defendant may recover fees when the plaintiff's claims were objectively frivolous, unreasonable, or groundless, or when the plaintiff continued litigating after their lack of merit became clear, and that subjective bad faith is not required. The record supported the award because the plaintiff repeatedly repleaded legally insufficient due-process and equal-protection claims after repeated rulings identifying their defects.