E.D. Pennsylvania cuts fee award, including for clerical work
Turner et al v. Avco Corporation et al, No. 2:24-cv-00715. District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania, Judge Savage, J.. Decided . Read the opinion
The court applied the reductions below but did not state requested and awarded totals we could check against the opinion, so no overall percentage is shown.
Sanctions · Fee applicant's counsel: Blank Rome LLP · Figures include costs
What happened
Blank Rome LLP sought sanctions fees for the individual defendants. The court deducted 11.4 hours at one lawyer's rate for duplicative staffing ($5,204.10), 9.7 hours of excessive preparation time ($5,635.70), $1,917.30 for deposition preparation by a lawyer who conducted neither deposition, $8,130.00 in remaining deposition preparation fees, two hours for attendance ($913.00), and 3.8 hours for an undeterminable task ($3,364.00). It also awarded 0.4 hour at 50% of a rate for clerical work ($123.00) and excluded 2.0 hours for vague entries ($1,230.00). Figures include costs.
What the court said
We will award fees for the 0.4 hour spent on this task at 50% of Gilliam's rate. Thus, the Individual Defendants' fee award will be further reduced by $123.00.
Because we cannot determine whether the time spent reviewing them was reasonable, we will exclude those hours from the fee award. Accordingly, the Individual Defendants' award will be reduced by an additional $1,230.00.
The court also reduced the award for: duplicative staffing, excessive hours, duplicative staffing, excessive hours, duplicative staffing, excessive hours.
Why it matters
The ruling shows courts will reduce fee awards line by line when time records show duplicated staffing, hours the court cannot assess, or clerical tasks billed at legal rates. It also shows that vague entries can lead to exclusion of the time rather than an estimate.
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
Turner v. Avco Corporation, No. 2:24-cv-00715 (E.D. Pa. June 3, 2026) See hourly rates the E.D. Pennsylvania approves and attorney fee motions in Pennsylvania 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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