S.D. Florida cuts commercial fee award 15%, including for block billing

What happened

The plaintiff sought $28,675 in attorney fees as sanctions. Judge Lisette M. Reid awarded $24,373.75, a reduction of $4,301.25 or 15%. The court limited 10.2 hours billed for travel to Tampa for a case filed in the district, limited the approximately 20 hours requested for fees on fees to a reasonable amount, and noted block billing on at least one entry of 3.9 hours. The figures do not include costs.

What the court said

Plaintiff used block billing on at least a single entry of 3.9 hours.

The court also reduced the award for: travel time, fees on fees.

Why it matters

The ruling shows that courts will reduce fee awards for travel time, fees-on-fees requests, and block billing, even when the overall request is otherwise supported. It illustrates that time records must separate tasks and justify travel and fee-litigation hours to withstand scrutiny on a sanctions 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 S.D. Florida approves and attorney fee motions in Florida 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.