Legal Aid Mootness Upon Compensatory Award Collectability

The court reviewed an appeal against a decision that dismissed a request for legal aid as moot after awarding the requesting party a compensatory payment from the opposing side. The appellate court reasoned that a request for full legal aid can only be deemed moot upon the award of a compensatory payment if the collectability of that payment is certain, as the state must otherwise cover the legal costs if the opposing party cannot pay, pursuant to constitutional requirements. However, a separate request for exemption from court fees becomes moot if no court fees are awarded or if they are imposed upon the opposing party, as the requesting party would bear no such costs in that scenario.