Schneider v. Colegio De Abogados De Puerto Rico

After two decades of litigation in the Puerto Rico and federal courts, plaintiffs Robert E. Schneider, Jr., and Héctor Ramos-Diaz succeeded in invalidating the use of bar dues for ideological purposes by the mandatory bar of Puerto Rico, the Colegio de Abogados. The action in the case at hand was a civil rights action; the successful claims were of constitutional dimension. Other claims were less successful. The district court, acting pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1988, awarded plaintiffs $244,848.12 in attorney’s fees plus costs and a refund in *32unrefunded compulsory dues. The Colegio and other…