Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-3_11-cv-06358/USCOURTS-cand-3_11-cv-06358-4/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 864
Nature of Suit: Social Security - SSID Title XVI
Cause of Action: 42:405 Review of HHS Decision (SSID)

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United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

CARLOS A. JAUREQUE,

Plaintiff,

 v.

MICHAEL J. ASTRUE,

Defendant. /

No. 3:11-cv-06358-CRB

ORDER GRANTING COUNSEL’S

MOTION FOR ATTORNEYS’ FEES 

In this Social Security case, Plaintiff Carlos A. Jaureque’s counsel, Young Cho, seeks

attorneys’ fees under the Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. § 406(b)(1)(A). See Mot. for Fees

(dkt. 37). Specifically, Cho seeks fees in the amount of $12,800, which represents 25% of

the total past-due benefits that the Administrative Law Judge (“ALJ”) awarded to Jaureque

after this Court remanded the matter for further proceedings. Id. at 3. 

The retainer agreement between Jaureque and Cho entitles Cho to up to 25% of total

past-due benefits following a favorable decision. See id. at Ex. 1. Under 42 U.S.C. § 406(b),

a court entering judgment in favor of a claimant who was represented by an attorney “may

determine and allow as part of its judgment a reasonable fee for such representation, not in

excess of 25 percent of the total of the past-due benefits to which the claimant is entitled by

reason of such judgment.” The Supreme Court has held that, in determining what constitutes

a reasonable fee under section 406(b), courts are to give primacy to contingent fee 

Case 3:11-cv-06358-CRB Document 40 Filed 03/24/15 Page 1 of 2
United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

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agreements. See Gisbrecht v. Barnhart, 535 U.S. 789, 807–08 (2002).

The Supreme Court held that a district court charged with determining a reasonable

fee award under section 406(b)(1)(A) must respect “the primacy of lawful attorney-client fee

agreements,” within the context of “looking first to the contingent-fee agreement, then

testing it for reasonableness.” Id. at 793, 808. “A fee resulting from a contingent-fee

agreement is unreasonable, and thus subject to reduction by the court, if the attorney

provided substandard representation or engaged in dilatory conduct in order to increase the

accrued amount of past-due benefits, or if the “‘benefits are large in comparison to the

amount of time counsel spent on the case.’” Crawford v. Astrue, 586 F.3d 1142, 1148 (9th

Cir. 2009) (quoting Gisbrecht, 535 U.S. at 808). “The attorney bears the burden of

establishing that the fee sought is reasonable.” Id. (citing Gisbrecht, 535 U.S. at 807). 

In accordance with the Supreme Court’s mandate, this Court approaches Cho’s

request for fees “by looking first to the contingent-fee agreement, then testing it for

reasonableness.” Gisbrecht, 535 U.S. at 808. The Court finds that the amount Cho seeks is

reasonable under the facts of this case. Cho achieved a fully favorable decision in which

Jaureque received substantial past-due benefits dating back to September 2009. See Mot.

Fees Ex. 3. Moreover, “no reduction in fees for dilatory conduct [is] warranted,” as Cho

does not appear to have engaged in “excessive delay which resulted in an undue

accumulation of past-due benefits.” See Crawford, 586 F.3d at 1151. Finally, the requested

fees are not “excessively large in relation to the benefits achieved,” particularly in light of the

significant risk involved in this particular case, where the ALJ did not award fees until a

remand from this Court. See id.; Mot. Fees Ex. 4. Accordingly, Cho’s motion for fees in the

amount of $12,800 is GRANTED. 

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: March 24, 2015 

CHARLES R. BREYER

UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

Case 3:11-cv-06358-CRB Document 40 Filed 03/24/15 Page 2 of 2