D. Nebraska cuts sanctions fee award 43.2%, including for block billing

What happened

The fee applicant sought $84,116.38 in sanctions fees for 309 hours. The court applied a 10% reduction for excessive hours. It then excluded $10,342.00 in block-billed entries, $360.00 for vague entries, $7,092.00 for duplicative staffing, and $10,106.00 for unrelated claims. The court awarded $47,804.75, a reduction of $36,311.63, or 43.2%.

What the court said

This will include, in particular, Entry Nos. 16, 22, 23, 38, 55, 76, 77, and 78, totaling $10,342.00.

those two entries will also be reduced from Plaintiff’s award in the amount of $360.00

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

Why it matters

The ruling shows that a court will reduce a sanctions fee award for time records that combine tasks, lack detail, or reflect duplicative or unrelated work, and that these recordkeeping problems can account for a substantial share of the total cut.

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. Nebraska approves.

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.