S.D. Florida cuts commercial fee award 24.4%, including for block billing

What happened

The fee applicant sought $640,922.75 in fees under a contract fee clause. The court awarded $484,623.95, a reduction of $156,298.8. It reduced the hourly rates for Mr. Mandel and Mr. Seiden for all years billed. It then reduced the claimed hours by 25% across the board to account for excessive hours, block billing, duplicative staffing, and clerical work billed as legal work.

What the court said

the Undersigned finds that an across-the-board reduction in hours is appropriate to account for the excessive hours billed, block billing, and other billing deficiencies. The Court will reduce the hours claimed by 25%.

the Undersigned finds that an across-the-board reduction in hours is appropriate to account for the excessive hours billed, block billing, and other billing deficiencies. The Court will reduce the hours claimed by 25%.

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

Why it matters

The ruling shows that a single across-the-board percentage cut can address several time-record problems at once, including block billing and clerical entries, rather than requiring an hour-by-hour review. It also shows courts will adjust billed rates to prevailing levels before applying such a reduction.

How to keep this out of your fee petition

• Record one task per entry, each with its own time.
• Write the entry when the work happens, not at the end of the week.
• If a task really is one unit of work, say what it was and what it produced.

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.