Attorney Fees Amendments
This bill's title ("Attorney Fees Amendments") does not match its actual content. The provided text describes **Section 18-1-4**, which governs arbitration for personal injury claims from dog attacks - *not* attorney fees. It establishes a mandatory arbitration process for such claims, limits recovery to $50,000 (plus medical benefits/property damage), waives personal asset recovery against defendants, and outlines procedures for rescinding arbitration elections or requesting a trial de novo. The bill does not address attorney fee awards, as implied by its title, and the cited Utah Code sections (e.g., 18-1-4) pertain to dog attack arbitration, not attorney fees. The summary cannot be generated as requested due to this significant discrepancy in the provided bill text.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Feb 2026
House Passage
Mar 2026
Senate Passage
Mar 2026
Signed into Law
Mar 2026
Introduced Jan 22, 2026
Signed Mar 23, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons
What changed between versions
Substitute #1
→
Enrolled
·
6 edits
·
Mar 23, 2026
MODERATE
This bill updates the rules for awarding attorney fees in civil cases and modifies the financial limits and cost penalties for trial de novo requests in arbitration. It clarifies when fees are awarded based on bad faith or frivolous claims and sets specific dollar thresholds for when a party must pay the other side's costs if they lose a trial de novo.
Scope change
The scope of attorney fee awards was expanded to explicitly include motions and bad faith litigation tactics, while the scope of trial de novo financial penalties was adjusted to include specific dollar caps and new disclosure requirements.
ELIGIBILITY
Attorney fees can now be awarded against parties who file frivolous motions or use the legal process to harass or delay, not just frivolous lawsuits.
REQUIREMENT
Courts must now enter the record with reasons if they choose not to award attorney fees, and indigent parties may be exempt from fees.
Parties requesting a trial de novo must now fully disclose damage claims in writing before arbitration or face penalties.
Discovery time for trial de novo cases was standardized to 90 days unless the parties agree otherwise.
TIMELINE
The effective date of the bill was changed from May 2, 2026 to May 6, 2026.
FISCAL
Cost penalties for losing a trial de novo are capped at $6,000, and verdict limits were adjusted to $65,000 for defendants and $50,000 for plaintiffs.
Floor votes · Senate Mar 2, 2026 · House Feb 17, 2026
How they voted
27–0
Passed · 2 other
Total votes 29
Mar 2, 2026
D
Democratic6
100% Yea
N
Forward1
100% Yea
R
Republican22
90% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
41
Key actions
10
Committee
7
Mar 23, 2026
Signed into law
Governor Signed
executive
Mar 2, 2026
Lower · Passed
House/ signed by Speaker/ sent for enrolling
lower
Mar 2, 2026
Lower · Passed
Senate/ signed by President/ returned to House
lower
Mar 2, 2026
Upper · Passed
Senate/ passed 3rd reading
upper
Feb 25, 2026
Upper · Passed
Senate/ comm rpt/ placed on Consent Calendar [Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement, and Criminal Justice Committee]
upper
Feb 25, 2026
Upper · Passed
Senate Comm - Consent Calendar Recommendation [Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement, and Criminal Justice Committee]
upper
Feb 25, 2026
Upper · Passed
Senate Comm - Favorable Recommendation [Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement, and Criminal Justice Committee]
upper
Feb 19, 2026
Committee
Senate/ to standing committee [Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement, and Criminal Justice Committee]
upper
Feb 18, 2026
Introduced
Senate/ 1st reading (Introduced)
upper
Feb 17, 2026
Upper · Passed
House/ passed 3rd reading
upper
Feb 6, 2026
Lower · Passed
House/ comm rpt/ substituted [House Judiciary Committee]
lower
Feb 5, 2026
Lower · Passed
House Comm - Favorable Recommendation [House Judiciary Committee]
lower
Feb 3, 2026
Committee
House/ to standing committee [House Judiciary Committee]
lower
Jan 22, 2026
Introduced
House/ 1st reading (Introduced)
lower
1 primary · 1 co-sponsor
Sponsors
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