Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-1_14-cv-01802/USCOURTS-caed-1_14-cv-01802-4/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Commissioner of Social Security
Defendant
Estela Love
Plaintiff

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Young Cho

Attorney at Law: 189870

Law Offices of Lawrence D. Rohlfing

12631 East Imperial Highway, Suite C-115

Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670

Tel.: (562)868-5886

Fax: (562)868-8868

E-mail: rohlfing.office@rohlfinglaw.com

Attorneys for Plaintiff

Estela Love

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

ESTELA LOVE,

Plaintiff,

vs.

CAROLYN W. COLVIN, Acting

Commissioner of Social Security,

Defendant.

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Case No.: 1:14-cv-01802-BAM

STIPULATION AND ORDER FOR 

THE AWARD AND PAYMENT OF 

ATTORNEY FEES AND EXPENSES

PURSUANT TO THE EQUAL 

ACCESS TO JUSTICE ACT, 28 U.S.C. 

§ 2412(d) AND COSTS PURSUANT 

TO 28 U.S.C. § 1920

TO THE HONORABLE BARBARA A. MCAULIFFE, MAGISTRATE 

JUDGE OF THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT:

IT IS HEREBY STIPULATED, by and between the parties through their 

undersigned counsel, subject to the approval of the Court, that Estela Love be 

awarded attorney fees in the amount of three thousand eight hundred dollars 

($3,800.00) under the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA), 28 U.S.C. § 2412(d).

This amount represents compensation for all legal services rendered on behalf of 

Case 1:14-cv-01802-BAM Document 25 Filed 04/21/16 Page 1 of 5
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Plaintiff by counsel in connection with this civil action, in accordance with 28 

U.S.C. §§ 1920; 2412(d). 

After the Court issues an order for EAJA fees to Estela Love, the 

government will consider the matter of Estela Love's assignment of EAJA fees to 

Young Cho. Pursuant to Astrue v. Ratliff, 130 S.Ct. 2521, 2529 (2010), the ability 

to honor the assignment will depend on whether the fees are subject to any offset 

allowed under the United States Department of the Treasury's Offset 

Program. After the order for EAJA fees is entered, the government will determine 

whether they are subject to any offset.

Fees shall be made payable to Estela Love, but if the Department of the 

Treasury determines that Estela Love does not owe a federal debt, then the 

government shall cause the payment of fees, expenses and costs to be made 

directly to Law Offices of Lawrence D. Rohlfing, pursuant to the assignment 

executed by Estela Love. United States v. $186,416.00, 722 F.3d 1173, 1176 (9th 

Cir. 2013) ($186,416.00 II) (ordering fees paid to counsel because of an 

assignment that did not interfere with a raised superior lien).

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 Any payments made 

shall be delivered to Young Cho.

 

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The Commissioner does not stipulate to the citation of $186,416.00 II, and will 

not participate in representing to this Court that it carries legal import in these 

proceedings. $186,416 II involved a different statute and very different factual 

circumstances than those presented here, or in other Social Security cases. 

Because the parties have agreed to the payment of EAJA fees, and the amount, and 

to avoid motion practice solely related to Plaintiff’s citation, the Commissioner 

agrees to this stipulation. The Commissioner reserves the right to challenge the 

applicability of $186,416 II to any Social Security case, and this Stipulation should 

not be construed as a waiver of such reservation.

Estela Love contends that U.S. v. $186,416.00 in U.S. Currency, 642 F.3d 753, 757 

(9th Cir. 2011) ($186,416.00 I) held that there is no functional difference between 

the CAFRA and EAJA in terms of “ownership” of the fee. U.S. v. Kim, 797 F.3d 

Case 1:14-cv-01802-BAM Document 25 Filed 04/21/16 Page 2 of 5
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This stipulation constitutes a compromise settlement of Estela Love's 

request for EAJA attorney fees, and does not constitute an admission of liability on 

the part of Defendant under the EAJA or otherwise. Payment of the agreed amount 

shall constitute a complete release from, and bar to, any and all claims that Estela 

Love and/or Young Cho including Law Offices of Lawrence D. Rohlfing may have 

relating to EAJA attorney fees in connection with this action. 

This award is without prejudice to the rights of Young Cho and/or the Law 

Offices of Lawrence D. Rohlfing to seek Social Security Act attorney fees under 

42 U.S.C. § 406(b), subject to the savings clause provisions of the EAJA.

DATE: April 20, 2016 Respectfully submitted,

 LAW OFFICES OF LAWRENCE D. ROHLFING

/s/ Young Cho

 BY: __________________

 Young Cho

 Attorney for plaintiff Estela Love

DATE: April 20, 2016 BENJAMIN B. WAGNER

United States Attorney

/s/ Ben A. Porter

 

 BEN A. PORTER

 Special Assistant United States Attorney 

 Attorneys for Defendant Carolyn W. Colvin, 

Acting Commissioner of Social Security 

 (Per e-mail authorization)

 

696, 699 (9th Cir. 2015) holds that the Anti-Assignment Act invalidates an 

assignment but does not preclude the attorney from gaining an interest in the fees. 

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ORDER

Based upon the parties’ stipulation for the award of attorney fees pursuant to 

the Equal Access to Justice Act filed on April 20, 2016 (“Stipulation”), IT IS 

HEREBY ORDERED that fees in the amount of three thousand eight hundred 

dollars ($3,800.00), as authorized by 28 U.S.C. § 2412, be awarded subject to the 

terms of the Stipulation.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: April 20, 2016 /s/ Barbara A. McAuliffe _

UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE

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PROOF OF SERVICE

STATE OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES

I am employed in the county of Los Angeles, State of California. I am over 

the age of 18 and not a party to the within action. My business address is 12631 

East Imperial Highway, Suite C-115, Santa Fe Springs, California 90670. 

On this day of April 20, 2016, I served the foregoing document described as 

STIPULATION FOR THE AWARD AND PAYMENT OF ATTORNEY FEES

AND EXPENSES PURSUANT TO THE EQUAL ACCESS TO JUSTICE ACT, 

28 U.S.C. § 2412(d) AND COSTS PURSUANT TO 28 U.S.C. § 1920 on the 

interested parties in this action by placing a true copy thereof enclosed in a sealed 

envelope addressed as follows:

Ms. Estela Love

235 W. Hawes Ave.

Fresno, CA 93706

I caused such envelope with postage thereon fully prepaid to be placed in the 

United States mail at Santa Fe Springs, California.

I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California 

that the above is true and correct.

I declare that I am employed in the office of a member of this court at whose 

direction the service was made.

Young Cho ___ /s/ Young Cho____________

TYPE OR PRINT NAME SIGNATURE

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