HB0307S01 (Substitute)
Attorney Fees Amendments
Introduction
Jan 22
House Rules
House Committee
Feb 5
House Floor Vote
Feb 17
Senate Rules
Feb 18
Senate Committee
Feb 24
Senate 2nd Reading
Feb 25
Senate 3rd Reading
Mar 2
Governor Signed
Mar 23
This bill addresses attorney fees.
This bill:
AI-generated summary. We recommend consulting the bill text for important decisions.
Under current Utah law, courts can force a losing party to pay the winner's attorney fees if the case was brought or defended in "bad faith" — a term previously linked to a separate legal definition. This bill rewrites that standard across multiple areas of Utah law, including civil lawsuits, motor vehicle accident arbitration cases, dog bite claims, and construction lien disputes. Instead of using the term "bad faith," the bill now requires courts to find that a party acted to harass, cause unreasonable delay, needlessly increase litigation costs, or abuse the judicial process before ordering attorney fee payments. The bill also raises the bar for awarding attorney fees in general civil actions by requiring courts to find both that a claim or defense is frivolous or has no reasonable basis in law or fact, and that it was brought for an improper purpose — both conditions must now be met, whereas previously the standard was simply acting without merit and not in good faith.
Current version: HB0307S01 (Substitute)
Introduction
Jan 22
House Rules
House Committee
Feb 5
House Floor Vote
Feb 17
Senate Rules
Feb 18
Senate Committee
Feb 24
Senate 2nd Reading
Feb 25
Senate 3rd Reading
Mar 2
Governor Signed
Mar 23
IntroductionJan 22
House Rules
House CommitteeFeb 5
House Floor VoteFeb 17
Senate RulesFeb 18
Senate CommitteeFeb 24
Senate 2nd ReadingFeb 25
Senate 3rd ReadingMar 2
Governor SignedMar 23
This bill addresses attorney fees.
This bill:
AI-generated summary. We recommend consulting the bill text for important decisions.
Under current Utah law, courts can force a losing party to pay the winner's attorney fees if the case was brought or defended in "bad faith" — a term previously linked to a separate legal definition. This bill rewrites that standard across multiple areas of Utah law, including civil lawsuits, motor vehicle accident arbitration cases, dog bite claims, and construction lien disputes. Instead of using the term "bad faith," the bill now requires courts to find that a party acted to harass, cause unreasonable delay, needlessly increase litigation costs, or abuse the judicial process before ordering attorney fee payments. The bill also raises the bar for awarding attorney fees in general civil actions by requiring courts to find both that a claim or defense is frivolous or has no reasonable basis in law or fact, and that it was brought for an improper purpose — both conditions must now be met, whereas previously the standard was simply acting without merit and not in good faith.
Motion: Favorable Recommendation
Motion: Favorable Recommendation
Governor Signed
Lieutenant Governor's office for filing
House/ to Governor
Executive Branch - Governor
House/ received enrolled bill from Printing
Clerk of the House
House/ enrolled bill to Printing
Clerk of the House
Enrolled Bill Returned to House or Senate
Clerk of the House
Last updated Mar 26, 2026, 9:40 PM