S.D. Florida cuts intellectual property fee award, including for vague entries | LegalTime AI

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

Infogroup Inc. v. Office Depot, Inc., No. 9:23-cv-80358. District Court, S.D. Florida, Magistrate Judge Bruce E. Reinhart. Decided . Read the opinion

The court applied the reductions below but did not state requested and awarded totals we could check against the opinion, so no overall percentage is shown.

Intellectual property · Contract fee clause · Fee applicant's counsel: Hogan Lovells

What happened

Hogan Lovells sought fees under a contract fee clause in an intellectual property case. The magistrate judge recommended a blended hourly rate and found that 16 timekeepers reflected significant overstaffing. He recommended a 50% reduction in hours billed by five timekeepers for excessive hours, and a further 50% reduction for entries that lacked specificity and appeared duplicative. He also cited vague entries and redactions that made the time hard to assess, and recommended reducing fees on fees.

What the court said

Vague entries · 50% reduction
The billing records reveal numerous instances of excessive billing, redundancies, vague entries, and redactions that make it difficult for the Court to assess the validity of the time spent.

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

Why it matters

The ruling shows that a fee applicant's time records are read closely even under a contract fee clause. Vague entries and redactions can leave the court unable to check the work, and staffing a matter with many timekeepers invites a rate and hour reduction rather than line by line review.

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

Infogroup Inc. v. Office Depot, Inc., No. 9:23-cv-80358 (S.D. Fla. Aug. 21, 2024)

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.

More rulings like this

All rulings in the Fee Cut Tracker