Burton v. Am. Gamebird Research Educ. & Dev. Found., Inc.

Cite as 2017 Ark. App. 283

ARKANSAS COURT OF APPEALS DIVISIONS I, III & IV No. CV-16-936

THOMAS BURTON AND CINDY Opinion Delivered: May 10, 2017 BURTON APPELLANTS APPEAL FROM THE LAFAYETTE COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT V. [NO. 37CV-15-21]

HONORABLE CARLTON D. JONES, AMERICAN GAMEBIRD RESEARCH JUDGE EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION, INC. DISMISSED WITHOUT PREJUDICE APPELLEE

RITA W. GRUBER, Chief Judge

Thomas and Cindy Burton appeal the denial of their motion for attorney’s fees in the action filed against them by American Gamebird Research Education and Development Foundation, Inc. (AGRED). This case is a companion case to American Gamebird Research Education & Development Foundation, Inc. v. Burton, 2017 Ark. App. 297, which we also hand down today. The Burtons assert that under Arkansas Code Annotated section 16-22-308 (Repl. 1999), they were entitled to attorney’s fees as the prevailing party in a contract case. AGRED responds that attorney’s fees were unavailable because its claim sounded in tort.

The Burtons’ sole point on appeal is that the trial court erred in ruling that attorney’s fees were statutorily unavailable. Because today we reverse and remand the underlying case, see id., the merits of the present appeal are not ripe for our review.

Dismissed without prejudice.

VIRDEN, GLADWIN , HARRISON, GLOVER, WHITEAKER, HIXSON, MURPHY, and BROWN, JJ., agree.

Cite as 2017 Ark. App. 283

McMath Woods P.A., by: Samuel E. Ledbetter; and Joseph Hamilton Kemp, PLLC, by: Joseph Hamilton Kemp, for appellants.

Bell & Boyd, PLLC, by: Michael W. Boyd and Karen Talbot Gean, for appellee.