D. Maryland cuts fee award 44.6%, including for clerical work

What happened

The fee applicant in G&G Closed Circuit Events, LLC v. Sky High Sports & Entertainment, LLC requested $3,070 in attorneys' fees. Judge Paula Xinis reduced the request by $805 for time spent on obviously clerical work billed as legal work, then found the requested fees excessive and reduced the award to $1,700, a total reduction of $1,370, or 44.6%. The figures do not include costs.

What the court said

the Court will reduce the requested fee by $805 for Mr. Kind’s time spent performing obviously clerical work.

The court also reduced the award for: excessive hours.

Why it matters

The order shows that courts separate clerical tasks from legal work when reviewing time records and will cut those entries, and that a fee award can be reduced further when the remaining hours are found excessive.

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 D. Maryland approves and attorney fee motions in Maryland 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.