E.D. Tennessee cuts employment fee award 14%, including for vague entries

What happened

The fee applicant in this Title VII employment case requested $558,790 in attorney fees. The magistrate judge recommended awarding $480,364.50, a reduction of $78,425.50 or 14.0%. The court recommended a reduced hourly rate for Attorneys Underwood and Hyman, reduced 8.5 hours of paralegal time for vague entries, cut 4.5 hours for Attorney Underwood and 2.5 hours for Attorney Hyman for travel time, and deducted 44.1 hours from Attorney Underwood's time as noncompensable clerical work.

What the court said

the undersigned recommends that his time for paralegal services be reduced by 8.5 hours to account for these billings.

the undersigned recommends that 44.1 hours [see Doc. 214-3] be deducted from Attorney Underwood’s billed time as noncompensable clerical work.

The court also reduced the award for: hourly rate reduced, travel time, travel time.

Why it matters

The ruling shows that a fee petition's time records are examined entry by entry. Courts will separate clerical tasks from legal work, reduce travel time, and cut entries too vague to show what was done, even when the overall award is substantial.

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 E.D. Tennessee approves and attorney fee motions in Tennessee 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.