Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-azd-2_07-cv-01382/USCOURTS-azd-2_07-cv-01382-2/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 863
Nature of Suit: Social Security - DIWC/DIWW (405(g))
Cause of Action: 42:405 Review of HHS Decision (DIWC)

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WO 

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

FOR THE DISTRICT OF ARIZONA 

Brenda K. Green, 

Plaintiff, 

v. 

Michael J. Astrue, 

Defendant.

No. CV-07-01382-PHX-DGC

ORDER 

 Eric Slepian, counsel for Plaintiff Brenda Green, has filed a motion for an award 

of attorney fees pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 406(b). Doc. 44. No response has been filed. 

The Court will grant the motion and award fees in the amount of $7,212.00. 

 Plaintiff applied for disability insurance benefits and supplemental security 

income on October 20, 2003. Doc. 37 at 1. Plaintiff commenced this action for judicial 

review in July 2007 and the Court ultimately remanded the case for further proceedings. 

Id. at 11. The Court then awarded Plaintiff’s counsel $5,550.00 in attorney fees pursuant 

to the Equal Access for Justice Act (“EAJA”), 28 U.S.C. § 2412. Doc. 42. On remand, 

Plaintiff was awarded benefits and Defendant withheld 25 percent of the benefits 

awarded – $7,212.00 – for the payment of attorney fees. Doc. 44-1 at 4. 

 The fee agreement between Mr. Slepian and Plaintiff provides that Mr. Slepian 

shall receive 25 percent of the past-due benefits awarded to Plaintiff as a result of Mr. 

Slepian’s representation. Doc. 44-1 at 2. The agreement indicated that Mr. Slepian 

would receive the greater of $5,300.00 or “the maximum statutory allowance, of all past 

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due benefits . . . under Title II and Title XVI[.]” Id. Mr. Slepian now seeks an order 

authorizing payment of the $7,212.00 withheld by Defendant and argues that his request 

is reasonable. Doc. 44 at 2. 

 Section 406 establishes “the exclusive regime for obtaining fees for successful 

representation of Social Security benefits claimants.” Gisbrecht v. Barnhart, 535 U.S. 

789, 795-96 (2002). “The statute deals with the administrative and judicial review stages 

discretely: § 406(a) governs fees for representation in administrative proceedings; 

§ 406(b) controls fees for representation in court.” Id. at 794. Section 406(b) provides 

that “[w]henever a court renders a judgment favorable to a claimant . . . who was 

represented before the court by an attorney, the court 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[.]” 42 U.S.C. § 406(b)(1)(A). 

In Gisbrecht, the Supreme Court discussed the meaning of the term “reasonable 

fee” in § 406(b). The Court concluded that “§ 406(b) does not displace contingent-fee 

agreements as the primary means by which fees are set for successfully representing 

Social Security benefits claimants in court. Rather, § 406(b) calls for court review of 

such arrangements as an independent check, to assure that they yield reasonable results in 

particular cases.” 535 U.S. at 807. The Court noted that “Congress has provided one 

boundary line: Agreements are unenforceable to the extent that they provide for fees 

exceeding 25 percent of the past-due benefits.” Id.

 Mr. Slepian filed an itemization of services along with his EAJA fee motion 

(Doc. 39-1 at 5), showing that he spent 35.40 hours on this case. If Mr. Slepian were to 

receive the full 25 percent of past-due benefits as provided in the fee agreement, he 

would receive a fee equivalent to approximately $203.00 per hour. Having considered 

the reasonableness factors set forth in Ginsbrecht, the Court concludes that $203.00 per 

hour is a reasonable rate. Mr. Slepian achieved a favorable result for Plaintiff and should 

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be compensated to recognize the risks involved in contingent fee litigation. The Court 

will award Mr. Slepian $7,212.00 for his representation of Plaintiff. The Court notes that 

Mr. Slepian has already been awarded $5,500.00 under the EAJA. The Court will award 

Mr. Slepian the full § 406(b) amount and direct him to refund to Plaintiff the smaller 

EAJA award. See Gisbrecht, 535 U.S. at 796. 

IT IS ORDERED: 

1. The motion for an award of attorney fees filed by Plaintiff’s counsel, Eric 

Slepian (Doc. 44) is granted pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 406(b). Mr. Slepian is 

awarded $7,212.00 in attorney fees, to be paid out of the sums withheld by 

Defendant from Plaintiff’s past due benefits. 

2. Defendant shall pay Mr. Slepian $7,212.00 within 30 days from the date of 

this order. 

3. Mr. Slepian shall reimburse Plaintiff $5,550.00, the amount previously paid 

by the government under the EAJA, within 30 days from the date of this order. 

4. Mr. Slepian shall provide Plaintiff with a copy of this order. 

Dated this 12th day of September, 2014. 

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