Attorney Fees

Affirming attorney’s fee award of $15,100 where plaintiff received $1.00 nominal damages for arrest for yelling “fuck you” to officer who was performing traffic stop on vehicle with children in car: because discrepancy between amount sought and received was not great, legal issue of retaliatory arrest for exercise of free speech was significant, and public goal was achieved when Sheriff’s Association included case in legal training update.

Punitive award of $200,000 was a violation of due process where plaintiff received only $1.00 in compensatory damages from jury, where officer choked, punched, and used knee strike on plaintiff after he surrendered following attempt to flee; court reduces punitive award to $50,000; court affirms award of fees to plaintiff’s counsel in amount of $143,787.97.