D. New Jersey cuts civil rights fee award 70.3%, including for block billing

What happened

The fee applicant sought $100,276.25 in sanctions fees for 224.65 hours. The court awarded $29,750. It lowered the blended hourly rate by including a paralegal, reduced 59.45 hours for block billing and vague task descriptions, cut billed hours from 28.54 to 14.00, and reduced motion hours to 70.

What the court said

counsel relied heavily upon block billing to describe the services that were rendered. The descriptions thus combine many distinct tasks ... into a single entry, without delineating how much time was spent on each.

the block billing, combined with the excessively vague descriptions of the tasks performed, leaves the Court guessing not only how much time counsel may have expended on each particular task, but also what the particular task was.

The court also reduced the award for: hourly rate reduced, excessive hours, excessive hours.

Why it matters

The ruling shows that block billing and vague descriptions can lead a court to reduce hours even when the overall request is otherwise supported, and that courts will adjust both rates and hours before arriving at a final fee.

How to keep this out of your fee petition

• Record one task per entry, each with its own time.
• Write the entry when the work happens, not at the end of the week.
• If a task really is one unit of work, say what it was and what it produced.

Cite this ruling

See hourly rates the D. New Jersey approves and attorney fee motions in New Jersey federal courts.

Figures and quotes are taken from the opinion and checked against its text. Spot an error? Email team@legaltime.ai with the case name and we will correct it. Summaries of public court opinions. Not legal advice.