Jackson v. Hollowell

GOLDBERG, Circuit Judge:

These consolidated appeals present a state law question concerning the right of a surety company to seek indemnification from a bond principal for legal fees incurred by the surety company in defending a suit on the bond. This issue arises in the context of prisoners’ civil rights suits brought against Mississippi state officials and against their surety companies for recovery under public official bonds. We find that the surety companies’ right to indemnification depends on whether it was reasonably necessary for the sureties to incur legal costs, on whether the costs…