D. Minnesota cuts sanctions fee award 46.1%, including for block billing

What happened

Fredrikson & Byron, P.A., sought $163,819.50 in sanctions fees for 309.5 hours in Ballast Advisors, LLC v. Peterson. The court awarded $88,350, a reduction of $75,469.50 or 46.1%. It excised $25,852 in entries it found did not support a fee award because of block billing. Because the motion to compel addressed multiple issues, the court also removed half of each amount tied to unrelated claims. The figures do not include costs.

What the court said

The Court finds that those entries do not provide grounds for an award of fees and excises them from the total fee award.

The court also reduced the award for: unrelated claims.

Why it matters

The ruling shows that block-billed entries can be removed from a sanctions fee award when the court cannot tell what work they cover. It also shows courts may split fees by issue when a motion addresses both successful and unrelated matters, so time records that separate tasks and claims matter on a fee petition.

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. Minnesota approves and attorney fee motions in Minnesota 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.