Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit April 1, 2002, No. 00-16864 (San Francisco National Ass'n for the Advancement of Colored People v. San Francisco Unified School District)

D.W. NELSON, Circuit Judge:

In this case we decide whether a civil rights plaintiff, based solely on its status as a prevailing party in an original action, may be eligible to recover attorney’s fees under 42 U.S.C. § 1988 for defending its consent decree from a collateral attack brought by a third party in a subsequent action.