S.D. Florida cuts commercial fee award 10% over clerical work

What happened

E.C. Ruff Marine, Inc. sought $79,960 in attorney fees under a contract fee clause in its case against MV Bella Giornata. Judge Alicia O. Valle awarded $71,964, a reduction of $7,996. The court applied an across-the-board 10% reduction to the requested fees to account for clerical work billed as legal work and for block billing. The figures do not include costs.

What the court said

the undersigned recommends an across-the-board 10% reduction to the amount of fees requested to account for clerical work and counsel's block billing

the undersigned recommends an across-the-board 10% reduction to the amount of fees requested to account for clerical work and counsel's block billing

Why it matters

The ruling shows that a court may apply a single across-the-board percentage cut when time records mix clerical tasks with legal work and use block billing, rather than reviewing each entry line by line. It also shows that fee applicants who submit such records may see the requested amount reduced even without a challenge to the hourly rates.

How to keep this out of your fee petition

• Leave purely clerical work off the fee petition.
• Describe paralegal tasks so the substantive work is clear.
• Split mixed entries into their substantive and clerical parts.

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.