Bankr. S.D. Texas cuts bankruptcy fee award 10.9%, including for block billing

What happened

Beck Redden LLP, counsel for the fee applicant, requested $59,401.35 in sanctions fees. The court awarded $52,945.35, a reduction of $6,456.00. It applied a 20% reduction to a subset of entries that were lumped and vague, deducting $3,840.00 for 7.72 hours. It also applied a 30% reduction to each excessive entry, deducting $2,616.00 for 5.45 hours. The figures do not include costs.

What the court said

the Court finds that a 20% reduction for such deficient time entries is warranted. The total deduction based on lumped and vague time entries is $3,840.00.

the Court finds that a 20% reduction for such deficient time entries is warranted. The total deduction based on lumped and vague time entries is $3,840.00.

The court also reduced the award for: excessive hours.

Why it matters

The ruling shows that a bankruptcy court will reduce a sanctions fee award for time records that combine tasks or lack detail, and will separately trim entries it finds excessive. Even a modest overall cut can rest on distinct recordkeeping and reasonableness findings applied to subsets of entries.

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

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.