D. Arizona cuts wage and hour fee award 12.6% over clerical work | LegalTime AI

D. Arizona cuts wage and hour fee award 12.6% over clerical work

Rios et al v. Lux Interior and Renovation LLC et al, No. 2:23-cv-01686. District Court, D. Arizona, Judge Diane J. Humetewa. Decided . Read the opinion

Requested
$13,038.50
Awarded
$11,392
Cut
12.6%$1,646.50

Wage and hour · Fair Labor Standards Act

What happened

The fee applicant in a Fair Labor Standards Act wage and hour case sought $13,038.50 for 29.3 hours. Judge Diane J. Humetewa awarded $11,392 for 25.6 hours, a reduction of $1,646.50, or 12.6%. The court excised 3.7 hours of entries it found were for clerical or administrative tasks not eligible for an attorney fee award. The figures do not include costs.

What the court said

Clerical work billed as legal work
The Court will excise these entries from total hours billed as clerical or administrative tasks no eligible for an attorney fees award.

Why it matters

The ruling shows that courts will separate clerical and administrative tasks from compensable legal work on a fee petition, reducing both hours and the award even when the overall reduction is modest.

How to keep this out of your fee petition

  • Leave purely clerical work off the fee petition.
  • Describe paralegal tasks so the substantive work is clear.
  • Split mixed entries into their substantive and clerical parts.

Cite this ruling

Rios v. Lux Interior and Renovation LLC, No. 2:23-cv-01686 (D. Ariz. Mar. 23, 2026)

See hourly rates the D. Arizona approves and attorney fee motions in Arizona 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.

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