M.D. Louisiana cuts civil rights fee award 12.9% over block billing

What happened

The plaintiffs sought $41,845 in attorney fees under 42 U.S.C. § 1988, covering 237.2 hours. The court awarded $36,442.25, a reduction of $5,402.75, or 12.9%. The court applied a 15% reduction to a subset of entries that were block billed, to account for potential unreasonableness that might have been found had those entries not been block billed. The figures do not include costs.

What the court said

To account for potential unreasonableness that may have been found if these entries had not been block billed, the block billed hours will be reduced by a fixed percentage of 15%.

Why it matters

The ruling shows that courts will reduce fees for block billing even without identifying specific unreasonable tasks, applying a fixed percentage to the affected entries. It signals that time records separating tasks matter on a fee petition, and that a percentage cut can substitute for a line-by-line review.

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 M.D. Louisiana approves and attorney fee motions in Louisiana 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.