Chrapliwy v. Uniroyal, Inc.

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., Thomas E. Fairchild, and Brown, Senior District Judge
Case opinions
Opinion by: Fairchild
Laws applied
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

Chrapliwy v. Uniroyal, Inc., 670 F.2d 760 (7th Cir. 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. 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 system at its Mishawaka, Indiana 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.

See also

• Gender equality
• List of gender equality lawsuits

External links

• Text of the ruling