§980. Expenses of administrative proceedings; right to recover
A. When a small business files a petition seeking: (1) relief from the application or
enforcement of an agency rule or regulation, (2) judicial review of the validity or
applicability of an agency rule, (3) judicial review of an adverse declaratory order or ruling,
or (4) judicial review of a final decision or order in an adjudication proceeding, the petition
may include a claim against the agency for the recovery of reasonable litigation expenses.
If the small business prevails and the court determines that the agency acted without
substantial justification, the court may award such expenses, in addition to granting any other
appropriate relief.
B. A small business shall be deemed to have prevailed in an action when, in the final
disposition, its position with respect to the agency rule or declaratory order or ruling is
maintained, or when there is no adjudication, stipulation, or acceptance of liability on its part.
However, a small business shall not be deemed to have prevailed, if the action was
commenced at the instance of, or on the basis of a complaint by, anyone other than an officer,
agent, or employee of the agency and was dismissed by the agency on a finding of no cause
for the action or settled without a finding of fault on the part of the small business.
C. An agency shall pay any award made against it pursuant to this Section from
funds in its regular operating budget and shall, at the time of its submission of its proposed
annual budget, submit to the division of administration and to the presiding officer of each
house of the legislature a report of all such awards paid during the previous fiscal year.
D. As used in this Section:
(1) "Reasonable litigation expenses" means any expenses, not exceeding seven
thousand five hundred dollars in connection with any one claim, reasonably incurred in
opposing or contesting the agency action, including costs and expenses incurred in both the
administrative proceeding and the judicial proceeding, fees and expenses of expert or other
witnesses, and attorney fees.
(2) "Small business" means a small business as defined by the Small Business
Administration, which for purposes of size eligibility or other factors, meets the applicable
criteria set forth in 13 CFR, Part 121.
Added by Acts 1982, No. 497, §1; Acts 2022, No. 663, §1; Redesignated from R.S.
49:965.1.