Chrapliwy v. Uniroyal
United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
Argued October 1, 1981 Decided February 16, 1982
Full case name: Alta Chrapliwy, et al. v. Uniroyal Inc. Citations: 670 F.2d 760 (7th Cir. 1982) Prior history: Award of attorney's fees to Plaintiff, appeal and cross appeal from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana Subsequent history: cert. denied, 461 U.S. 956 (1983)
Holding
Reasonable attorney's fees are recoverable for time spent persuading the Federal Government to debar a defendant from its contracts when engaging in discriminatory practices. Reasonable attorney's fees are to be determined by the plaintiff's attorneys' rates, not by customary rates of attorneys in the locality in which the district court sits. Reasonable attorney's fees for risks of litigation and quality or representation are recoverable.
Court membership
Circuit Judges Walter J. Cummings, Jr. Walter J. Cummings, Jr. Walter Joseph Cummings Jr. was a United States Solicitor General and a federal judge.Cummings was born in Chicago, Illinois to Lillian Garvy Cummings and Walter J. Cummings, Sr... , Thomas E. Fairchild Thomas E. Fairchild Thomas Edward Fairchild , was a U.S. federal judge and former politician from Wisconsin. Before his death, he served as a Senior Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.... , and Brown, Senior District Judge
Case opinions
Opinion by: Fairchild
Laws applied
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 Civil Rights Act of 1964 The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a landmark piece of legislation in the United States that outlawed major forms of discrimination against African Americans and women, including racial segregation...

Chrapliwy v. Uniroyal, Inc., 670 F.2d 760 (7th Cir.

United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit

The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the courts in the following districts:* Central District of Illinois* Northern District of Illinois...

 1982), was a decision of the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals concerning the award of attorney's fees in a discrimination lawsuit. The facts of the case involved allegedly discriminatory practices in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

Civil Rights Act of 1964

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a landmark piece of legislation in the United States that outlawed major forms of discrimination against African Americans and women, including racial segregation...

. The litigants of the case settled in favor of the plaintiffs, but brought the issue of reasonable attorney's fees to the district court.

Uniroyal allegedly maintained "a segregated hiring and seniority

Seniority

Seniority is the concept of a person or group of people being in charge or in command of another person or group. This control is often granted to the senior person due to experience or length of service in a given position, but it is not uncommon for a senior person to have less experience or...

 system at its Mishawaka, Indiana

Mishawaka, Indiana

Mishawaka is a city on the St. Joseph River and a Twin city of South Bend in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States. The population was 48,252 as of the 2010 Census...

 plant where women were heavily employed in the footwear production division, while other lines predominantly employed male employees."

Alta Chrapliwy and other female workers filed charges against the company in a class action suit that was eventually settled in their favor after years of litigation.

External links

• Text of the ruling