Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-1_21-cv-00815/USCOURTS-caed-1_21-cv-00815-2/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Commissioner of Social Security
Defendant
Lisa Novelle Thompson
Plaintiff

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

LISA NOVELLE THOMPSON,

Plaintiff,

v.

COMMISSIONER OF SOCIAL 

SECURITY,

Defendant.

Case No. 1:21-cv-00815-HBK1

ORDER GRANTING AWARD AND 

PAYMENT OF ATTORNEYS FEES UNDER 

THE EQUAL ACCESS TO JUSTICE ACT

(Doc. No. 22)

Pending before the Court is the parties’ stipulated motion for award of attorney’s fees 

filed on August 31, 2022. (Doc. No. 22). The parties agree to an award of attorney’s fees to 

Plaintiff’s attorney, Josephine M. Gerrard of Gerrard Law Offices, of $8,500.00 pursuant to the 

Equal Access to Justice Act (“EAJA”), 28 U.S.C. § 2412. (Id.).

On July 15, 2022, this Court granted the parties’ stipulated motion for a remand and 

remanded the case pursuant to sentence four of 42 U.S.C. § 405(g) to the Commissioner for 

further administrative proceedings. (Doc. No. 20). Judgment was entered the same day. (Doc. 

No. 21). Plaintiff now requests an award of fees as the prevailing party. See 28 U.S.C. § 2412(a) 

& (d)(1)(A); Fed. R. Civ. P. 54(d)(1); see 28 U.S.C. § 1920; cf. Shalala v. Schaefer, 509 U.S. 

1 Both parties have consented to the jurisdiction of a magistrate judge in accordance with 28 U.S.C. 

§636(c)(1). (Doc. No. 10). 

Case 1:21-cv-00815-HBK Document 23 Filed 10/28/22 Page 1 of 3
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292, 300-02 (1993) (concluding that a party who wins a sentence-four remand order under 42 

U.S.C. § 405(g) is a prevailing party). The Commissioner does not oppose the requested relief. 

(Doc. No. 22). 

The EAJA provides for an award of attorney fees to private litigants who both prevail in 

civil actions (other than tort) against the United States and timely file a petition for fees. 28 

U.S.C. § 2412(d)(1)(A). Under the Act, a court shall award attorney fees to the prevailing party 

unless it finds the government’s position was “substantially justified or that special circumstances 

make such an award unjust.” Id. Here, the government did not show its position was 

substantially justified and the Court finds there are not special circumstances that would make an 

award unjust.

Based on the stipulation, the Court finds an award of $8,500.00 is appropriate. EAJA 

fees, expenses, and costs are subject to any offsets allowed under the Treasury Offset Program 

(“TOP”), as discussed in Astrue v. Ratliff, 532 U.S. 1192 (2010). If the Commissioner determines 

upon effectuation of this Order that Plaintiff’s EAJA fees are not subject to any offset allowed 

under the TOP, the fees shall be delivered or otherwise transmitted to Plaintiff’s counsel.

Accordingly, it is ORDERED:

1. The stipulated motion for attorney fees and expenses (Doc. No. 22) is GRANTED.

2. The Commissioner is directed to pay to Plaintiff as the prevailing party EAJA fees in 

the amount of $8,500.00 in attorney fees and expenses. Unless the Department of Treasury 

determines that Plaintiff owes a federal debt, the government shall make payment of the fees to 

Plaintiff’s counsel, Josephine M. Gerrard of Gerrard Law Offices, in accordance with Plaintiff’s 

assignment of fees and subject to the terms of the stipulated motion.

Dated: October 28, 2022 

HELENA M. BARCH-KUCHTA

UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE

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