Ash v. Traynor

KAPSNER, Justice.

[¶ 1] The Workers Compensation Bureau appealed from a district court judgment reversing a Bureau order denying payment of attorney fees to claimants having fee agreements with their attorneys. We hold the Bureau must pay attorney fees, under N.D.C.C. § 65-02-08, to prevailing claimants who have fee agreements with their attorneys if the agreements require reimbursement to the claimants from the attorney fees paid by the Bureau. We affirm.

I

[¶ 2] The claimants retained private counsel to represent them in litigation with the Bureau over benefit payments. Some of the claimants…