W.D. Texas cuts commercial fee award 12%, including for block billing

What happened

Radiant Plumbing Service sought $321,505 in fees under a contract fee clause, based on 644.5 hours. The court awarded $282,921.76, a reduction of $38,583.24. It applied a 7% reduction to the lodestar for limited success, reflecting the amount involved and results obtained. It applied a further 5% reduction for block billing, duplicative and redundant entries, and administrative work. The court also applied a 5% reduction for duplicative staffing. The figures do not include costs.

What the court said

a reduction of 5% to the lodestar is warranted to compensate for block-billing, duplicative and redundant entries, and administrative work.

a reduction of 5% to the lodestar is warranted to compensate for block-billing, duplicative and redundant entries, and administrative work.

The court also reduced the award for: limited success, duplicative staffing.

Why it matters

The ruling shows that a court may reduce a lodestar in percentage terms for time-record problems even when it awards every requested hour. Block billing, duplicative entries, and administrative work billed as legal work can each draw a cut, and the court need not parse individual entries to do so.

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 W.D. Texas approves and attorney fee motions in Texas 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.