“Adversary adjudication” defined; entitlement to award; eligibility for award.
29 C.F.R. § 102.143
in effectEffective: 2024-07-01(a) The term adversary adjudication, as used in this subpart, means unfair labor practice proceedings pending before the Board on a complaint and backpay proceedings under §§ 102.52 through 102.59 pending before the Board on a Notice of Hearing at any time after October 1, 1984.
(b) A Respondent in an adversary adjudication who prevails in that proceeding, or in a significant and discrete substantive portion of that proceeding, and who otherwise meets the eligibility requirements of this section, is eligible to apply for an award of fees and other expenses allowable under the provisions of § 102.145.
(c) Applicants eligible to receive an award are as follows:
(1) An individual with a net worth of not more than $2 million;
(2) A sole owner of an unincorporated business who has a net worth of not more than $7 million, including both personal and business interests, and not more than 500 employees;
(3) A charitable or other tax-exempt organization described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3)) with not more than 500 employees;
(4) A cooperative association as defined in Section 15(a) of the Agricultural Marketing Act (12 U.S.C. 1141j(a)) with not more than 500 employees; and
(5) Any other partnership, corporation, association, unit of local government, or public or private organization with a net worth of not more than $7 million and not more than 500 employees.
(d) For the purpose of eligibility, the net worth and number of employees of an applicant will be determined as of the date of the complaint in an unfair labor practice proceeding or the date of the Notice of Hearing in a backpay proceeding.
(e) An applicant who owns an unincorporated business will be considered as an “individual” rather than a “sole owner of unincorporated business” if the issues on which the applicant prevails are related primarily to personal interests rather than to business interests.
(f) The employees of an applicant include all persons who regularly perform services for remuneration for the applicant, under the applicant's direction and control. Part-time employees shall be included on a proportional basis.
(g) The net worth and number of employees of the applicant and all of its affiliates will be aggregated to determine eligibility. Any individual, corporation, or other entity that directly or indirectly controls or owns a majority of the voting shares or other interest of the applicant, or any corporation or other entity of which the applicant directly or indirectly owns or controls a majority of the voting shares or other interest, will be considered an affiliate for purposes of this part, unless such treatment would be unjust and contrary to the purposes of the Equal Access to Justice Act (94 Stat. 2325) in light of the actual relationship between the affiliated entities. In addition, financial relationships of the applicant other than those described in this paragraph may constitute special circumstances that would make an award unjust.
(h) An applicant that participates in an adversary adjudication primarily on behalf of one or more other persons or entities that would be ineligible is not itself eligible for an award.
Source: eCFRURL: https://www.ecfr.gov/api/versioner/v1/full/2024-07-01/title-29.xmlFetched: 7/26/2026