S.D. Florida cuts fee award, including for vague entries

What happened

Cox Law Group sought fees for 79.2 hours. The court reduced the paralegal hourly rates, cut 4.0 hours by one-third as excessive, and struck 8.6 hours for vague entries and 8.6 hours for duplicative staffing. It also struck 1.9 hours of clerical work billed as legal work. The court awarded fees for 67.4 hours. It did not state dollar totals.

What the court said

So, those time entries should be stricken.

Either way, most of the billing entries corresponding to those initials are clerical in nature and should be stricken.

The court also reduced the award for: hourly rate reduced, excessive hours, duplicative staffing.

Why it matters

The ruling shows that courts will strike time entries that lack enough detail to show the work performed, and will separate clerical tasks from legal work. It also shows that entries reflecting duplicative staffing and excessive time are subject to reduction even when the overall hours are not large.

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 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.