N.D. Texas cuts commercial fee award, including for block billing

What happened

Hall Griffin LLP sought fees under a contract fee clause for the fee applicant. The court did not state checkable totals. It subtracted $46,294.57 for unrelated claims and $11,625.00 for block billing, then reduced the lodestars by 25% for duplicative staffing and vague entries, applying a multiplier of 0.75. Judge Barbara M. G. Lynn entered the order on July 29, 2024.

What the court said

that results in $11,625.00 of additional unrecoverable fees incurred by FBFK beginning in June of 2019, which should be subtracted from FBFK’s lodestar

the vagueness of certain entries in Movants’ billing records ... undermines the Court’s ability to determine the extent to which the lodestar should be reduced

The court also reduced the award for: unrelated claims, duplicative staffing.

Why it matters

The ruling shows that courts will separate recordkeeping problems from other issues and apply both specific dollar deductions and a global percentage cut when time entries are block billed or too vague to assess.

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 N.D. Texas approves and attorney fee motions in Texas 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.