Ryan

These appeals involve a multifaceted legal controversy that arose after Australian John Ryan, in August 1997, came to America to repeat the 12th grade at Rancho Buena Vista High School (RBV) and to participate in its basketball and football programs, but was later declared ineligible to participate in extracurricular California Interscholastic Federation (GIF) athletics. After exhausting his administrative remedies, Ryan successfully petitioned for a writ of mandamus requiring GIF, California Interscholastic Federation-San Diego Section; and San Diego Section Commissioner Jan Jessop (collectively CIF-SDS) to rescind their ineligibility rulings and to permit him to participate in athletics. He was also awarded attorney fees pursuant to Code of Civil Procedure section 1021.5. CIF-SDS appeals the order granting Ryan mandamus relief and attorney fees, asserting the trial court abused its discretion by applying an independent judgment instead of a substantial evidence standard of review, substantial evidence supports the athletic ineligibility rulings, and attorney fees under the circumstances were not warranted under section 1021.5.

Ryan appeals the judgment entered after a…