D. New Mexico cuts civil rights fee award 58.1%, including for vague entries

What happened

Disability Rights New Mexico, through the Law Office of Ryan Villa, sought $170,551 in fees under 42 U.S.C. § 1988 for 659.06 hours. The court awarded $71,476, a reduction of $99,075 or 58.1%, leaving 263.63 hours. It reduced hours for excessive work, duplicative staffing, and vague entries for co-counsel strategy meetings and emails, applied a 50% cut for limited success, a further 20% cut for excessive, vague, and duplicative billing, and reduced the roughly fifty hours billed on the fee petition.

What the court said

billing entries for “co-counsel strategy” meetings and emails are not sufficiently particular as to this case.

reduced by 20% for excessive, vague, and duplicative billing

The court also reduced the award for: excessive hours, duplicative staffing, excessive hours, limited success, excessive hours, duplicative staffing, fees on fees.

Why it matters

The ruling shows that a fee award can be cut sharply when time records do not tie entries to the case and when staffing and hours are not justified. Courts will reduce hours for vague descriptions and duplicative work, and will apply separate percentage cuts for limited success and billing quality.

How to keep this out of your fee petition

• Name the task, the document or person involved, and the purpose.
• Avoid stock phrases that could describe any day in any matter.
• Keep privileged detail general, but specific enough to show the work.

Cite this ruling

See hourly rates the D. New Mexico approves and attorney fee motions in New Mexico 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.