Mitchell v. City of St. Paul

In this breach of contract action, the arbitrator awarded plaintiffs damages and costs, but not attorney fees. Plaintiffs filed exceptions to the denial of attorney fees, arguing that they were entitled to fees under ORS 20.080. The trial court denied the exceptions. Plaintiffs appeal. We review for errors of law, Schwarzkopf v. Shannon the Cannon’s Window, 166 Or App 466, 468, 998 P2d 244 (2000), and affirm.

The following facts are not disputed. Plaintiffs own property in St. Paul, Oregon. In reliance on an oral promise by the city council to reimburse them, they made improvements to a gravel…