Court says victim doesn't have to pay lawyer fees

WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court says the family of a police chief convicted of extortion doesn't get attorney fees from his victim, another police chief.

The high court ruled Monday for Vinton, La. police chief Ricky Fox, who doesn't want to pay lawyer fees to the family of former chief Billy Ray Vice. Vice was convicted of extortion after threatening to reveal damaging information about Fox unless he dropped out of the police chief's election. Fox won the 2005 election.

Fox later sued Vice, but the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the lawsuit was frivolous and ordered Fox to pay Vice's attorney fees. A unanimous high court overturned that decision. Vice died last year.

The case is Fox v. Vice, 10-114