S.D. Florida cuts social security fee award 5% over block billing

What happened

The fee applicant sought $12,650.98 in attorney fees under the Equal Access to Justice Act for 52.8 hours in a social security case. Judge Robert N. Scola, Jr. awarded $12,018.43, a reduction of $632.55. The court found that five entries constituted block billing and applied a 5% across-the-board reduction to the total fee to offset the harm. The figures do not include costs.

What the court said

Therefore, while the five entries identified by Judge Goodman do constitute impermissible block billing (see ECF No. 33 at 6), a five-percent reduction across the board suffices to offset the harm of block billing.

Why it matters

The ruling shows that a court may address block billing with a modest across-the-board percentage cut rather than striking individual entries, and that a small number of grouped entries can still draw a reduction even when most of the billing record is accepted.

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.