Summary 2013 WY 113

Summary of Decision September 27, 2013

Justice Hill delivered the opinion for the Court. Affirmed.

Case Name: IN THE MATTER OF THE ATTORNEY'S FEES AND COSTS IN THE TERMINATION OF PARENTAL RIGHTS TO: KMO, DMO, CMO, AKO, DKO, MTO, ABO, EEO, and JBO, Minor Children, DONALD LEE TOLIN, Attorney for HJO, Natural Mother v. STATE OF WYOMING, DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY SERVICES

Docket Number: S-13-0054

URL: http://www.courts.state.wy.us/Opinions.aspx

Appeal from the District Court of Natrona County the Honorable John C. Brackley, Judge

Representing Appellant: Donald Lee Tolin, Law Offices of Donald Tolin, Casper, WY.

Representing Appellee: Gregory A. Phillips, Wyoming Attorney General; Robin Sessions Cooley, Deputy Attorney General; and Jill E. Kucera, Senior Assistant Attorney General.

Date of Decision: September 27, 2013

Facts: Attorney Donald Tolin challenges an order awarding him a substantially reduced fee in a termination of parental rights case.

Issues: Tolin states his single issue as follows: Whether or not the district court’s order cutting attorney’s fees for indigent mother’s attorney from $121,530.00 to $25,000.00 was an abuse of discretion, arbitrary, and capricious.

Holdings: Beyond Mr. Tolin’s general assertions, he makes no cogent argument regarding exactly how the district court abused its discretion. Though he cites to the multitudinous pleadings he filed below, he fails to connect any of those pleadings to how the decision of the district court was an abuse of its discretion. He provides no evidence demonstrating that the fee reduction was unreasonable. Finding no abuse of discretion, we affirm the district court’s fee reduction in this case.

Summaries are prepared by Law Librarians and are not official statements of the Wyoming Supreme Court

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