Sebelius v. Cloer

Attorney's fees: provided by a statute (in the context of vaccine injury): The National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986 (NCVIA or Act) es­tablished a no-fault compensation system to stabilize the vaccine market and expedite compensation to injured parties; a court may award attorney’s fees and costs “incurred by a claimant in any proceeding on” an unsuccessful “petition filed under section 300aa–11,” if that petition “was brought in good faith and there was a reasonable basis for the claim for which the petition was brought,” §300aa–15(e)(1); an untimely NCVIA petition may qualify for an award of attor­ney’s fees if it is filed in good faith and there is a reasonable basis for its claim; so long as it was brought in good faith and with a reasonable basis, it is eligible for an award of attorney’s fees, even if it is ultimately unsuccessful. Had Congress intended otherwise, it could have easily limited fee awards to timely petitions; the Government’s contrary position is also inconsistent with the fees provision’s purpose, which was to avoid “limiting petitioners’ ability to obtain qualified assistance” by making awards available for “non-prevailing, good-faith claims.” H. R. Rep. No. 99–908, pt. 1, p. 22 (U.S. S. Ct., 20.05.13, Sebelius v. Cloer, J. Sotomayor).

Honoraires d'avocat : ici dans le contexte d'un dommage à la santé résultant d'une vaccination. Une procédure d'indemnisation spéciale est prévue par une loi fédérale réglant cette matière. Cette loi prévoit aussi que la partie plaignante peut voir ses frais de justice et ses honoraires d'avocat pris en charge même si elle perd son procès, pour autant qu'elle ait procédé de bonne foi et que la demande en justice était fondée sur des motifs raisonnables. Cette réglementation des frais et honoraires d'avocat s'applique également dans le cas où l'action de la partie plaignante est tardive.