Stansbury v. Barrick Enterprises, Inc.

**Employee Loses Discrimination Case, Court Reviews Attorney Fee Decision** A worker named Stansbury sued their former employer, 4 B Farms, claiming discrimination, retaliation, and wrongful termination. The employee lost the case at trial, meaning the employer won. After winning, the employer asked the court to make the employee pay their legal fees. The trial judge said no and refused to award attorney fees to the employer. However, the employer appealed this decision to a higher court. The appeals court found that the trial judge made a mistake. The appeals court said the lower court used the wrong rules when deciding whether the winning employer should get attorney fees paid by the losing employee. The case was sent back to the original judge to reconsider the attorney fee request using the correct legal standards. **What this means for workers:** This case shows that employees who lose discrimination lawsuits might have to pay their former employer's legal costs in addition to losing their case. This makes filing employment discrimination claims riskier, as workers could face significant financial consequences beyond just not getting compensation. Workers should carefully consider the strength of their case and potential costs before pursuing legal action.