N.D. California cuts ERISA benefits fee award 0.4% over clerical work
The Board of Trustees, in their capacities as Trustees of the Laborers Health and Welfare Trust Fund for Northern California et al v. Acumen Construction Management, Inc., No. 4:25-cv-06728. District Court, N.D. California, Judge Kandis A. Westmore. Decided . Read the opinion
- Requested
- $16,175
- Awarded
- $16,115
- Cut
- 0.4%$60
ERISA benefits · ERISA
What happened
The Board of Trustees of the Laborers Health and Welfare Trust Fund for Northern California sought $16,175 in attorney fees under ERISA. Judge Kandis A. Westmore awarded $16,115, a reduction of $60, or 0.4%. The court excluded one entry because it concerned calendaring, which the court treated as a non-compensable administrative task rather than legal work. The figures do not include costs.
What the court said
This entry is not compensable because it concerns calendaring, a non-compensable administrative task.
Why it matters
The ruling shows that courts review individual time entries on a fee petition and will exclude tasks treated as administrative, such as calendaring, even when the overall reduction is small. It confirms that the description attached to each entry affects whether the time is compensable.
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
The Board of Trustees, in their capacities as Trustees of the Laborers Health and Welfare Trust Fund for Northern California v. Acumen Construction Management, Inc., No. 4:25-cv-06728 (N.D. Cal. Apr. 29, 2026) See hourly rates the N.D. California approves and attorney fee motions in California 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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