T hi s di s pos i t i on i s notappr opr i a t e f orpubl i c a t i on and i s notpr e c e de nt * e xc e pta s pr ovi de d by9th C i r . R . 36- 3.

T he pa ne l una ni m ous l yc onc l ude s thi s c a s e i s s ui t abl e f orde c i s i on ** w ith o u t o r a l a r g u m e n t. See F ed. R . A pp . P . 34 (a )( 2).

T he H onor abl e W i l l i a m S t a f f or d, U ni t e d S t a t e s D i s tr i c tJ udge f orthe ** * N orthe rn D i s tr i c tof

F l or i da , s i tt i ng byde s i gna t i on. NOT F OR P UB L I CAT I ON UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS FOR T HE NI NTH CI RC UI T VI C T ORNA S S E R , t o th e Us e o f E r i c A. Du p r e e , Ph i l l i p M . Co h e n , a n d J o s h u aT. G i l l el an II , P et i t i on er , v. D I RECTO R, O FFI CE O F W O RK ERS C O M P E N S A T I O N P R O G R A M S ; e t a l., R esp o n d en t s. N o. 09- 70706 B R B N o. 08- 0357 ME MOR AN DU M *

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o rn ia B e f or e : T A S H I M A a nd T H O M A S , C i r c ui tJ udge s , a nd S T A F F O R D , S e ni or D i stri ctJudg e. *** 

# FI LED APR26 2 010 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALS2

V i c t orN a s s e r , s ol e l yf

orthe be ne f

i tof hi s a tt orne y s , E r i c A . D upr e e a nd J o s h u aT . G ille la n I I , p e titio n s f o rr e v ie w o f

th e D e p a rtm e n t o f

L ab o rB e n e f

its R evi ew B oard’ s dec i si on af fi rm i ng tw o o rder s i ss ued b y the adm i ni stra t i ve l aw j u d g e (“ A L J”), aw ard i n g att o rn eys’ fees an dsu p p l em en t al att o rn eys’ fees, resp ect i v el y, t o N asser’ s att o rn eys p u rsu an tt o th e L o n g sh o re an dH arb o r W o rk ers’ C om pe ns a t i on A c t( “ L H W C A ” ) , 33 U . S . C . §§ 901- 950, a s e xt e nde d bythe D e f e ns e B a s e A c t( “ D B A ” ) , 42 U . S . C . §§ 1651- 1654. T he A L Jappr ove d a se tt lem en t o f th e u n d er lyin g claim an dth er ea fteraw ar d ed fe es to N as se r’s a tt orne y s i n a n a m ounts i gni f i c a nt l yl e s s tha n r e que s t e d. N a s s e rs e e ks r e vi e w of the f e e s a w a r de d t o D upr e e a nd G i l l e l a n. N a s s e rf i r s ta r gue s tha tthe B e ne f i t s R e vi e w B oa r d ( “ B R B ” ) e rr e d by af fi rm i ng the A L J’ s use of an i m prop erm etho do l og y f or ca l cul at i ng fe es . In part i cul ar , N as se r c on t ends thatthe A L J e rr ed w hen h e bas ed hi s l aw ye rs ’ fe e aw ard s o n p astaw ard s m ad e b y th e B R B t o L H W C A att o rn eys i n o th er cases, w hi c h pa s ta w a r ds w e r e notthe m s e l ve s ba s e d on a nye vi de nc e of pr e va i l i ng m arketrat es i n the re l evantcom m un i ty. N as se r c on t ends thatsuch m e thodol ogy— l ong appr ove d bythe B R B a nd us e d byA L J s i n a w a r di ng att orneys ’ fe es — w as and i s i ncon si st entw i th the S up re m e C ou rt ’ s c as e l aw hol di ng tha t“ r e a s onabl e f e e s ” unde rthe L H W C A a r e t o be c a l c ul a t e d “ a c c or di ng3

t o the pr e va i l i ng m a rke tr a t e s i n the r e l e va ntc om m uni ty . ” B l um v. S t e ns on, 465 U .S . 8 8 6 , 8 9 5 , 1 0 4 S . C t. 1 5 4 1 , 7 9 L . E d . 2 d8 9 1 ( 1 9 8 4 ) . On e m o n th a f

t e rth e B R B a f

f i rm e dth e AL J ’ s d e c i s i o n s i n th i s c a s e , we de c i de d tw o c a s e s tha tdi s appr ove d the hour l y - r a t e - s e tt i ng pr a c t i c e tha tha d l ong pr e va i l e d a tthe a dm i ni s tr a t i ve l e ve l . V a n S ki ke v. D i r . , O f f i c e of W orke r s ’ C om p. P rogram s, 55 7 F . 3d 10 41 (9th C i r. 20 09 ); C hr i s t e ns e n v. S t e ve dor i ng S e rvs . of A m . , 557 F . 3d 1049 ( 9th C i r . 2009) . A s not e d i n both V a n S ki ke a nd C hr i s t e ns e n, a tt orne y s r e pr e s e nt i ng L H W C A c l a i m a nt s a r e f orbi dde n byl a w f

r om ne got i a t i ng or e nt e r i ng i nt o pr i va t e f

e e a gr e e m e nt s w i th the i rc l i e nt s , w hi c h m e a ns tha tthe r e i s no pri vat e c om pet i t i ve m arketfor L H W C A att orney’ s f ee s. V an S ki ke, 55 7 F . 3d at 1046- 47; C hr i s t e ns e n, 557 F . 3d a t1053. A c c or di ngl y , f orpurpos e s of

a w a r di ng f e e s u n d e rth e L H W C A , th e “r e le v a n t c o m m u n ity ” m u s t b e d e f in e dm o r e b r o a d ly tha n the L H W C A ba r , a nd a“ pr e va i l i ng m a rke tr a t e ” c a nnotbe de t e rm i ne d by l ooki ng s ol e l ya tpr e vi ous L H W C A r a t e - s e tt i ngs tha t , i n turn, w e r e ba s e d on pr e vi ous L H W C A r a t e - s e tt i ngs . V a n S ki ke , 557 F . 3d a t1047; C hr i s t e ns e n, 557 F . 3d a t1053- 54. N as se r’ s a tt orney, D up re e, subm i tt ed ra t e s urveys and att orney a ff i davi t s a s e vi de nc e of

m a rke tr a t e s f

ors i m i l a r l y - e xpe r i e nc e d a tt orne y s doi ng w ork of c om pa r abl e c om pl e xi ty . T he r e s ponde nt s c ount e r e d w i th no e vi de nc e of pr e va i l i ngI n s e l e c t i n g $ 2 8 5 r a th e rth a n ah i g h e rr a t e wi th i n th e r a n g e , th e ALJ 1 e x p la in e d th a t “n o n e o f

th e w o rkp e r f

o rm e dh e r e in ap p e a r s to b e s o c o m p le x a s to w a rr a ntahi ghe rr a t e . ” C om pl e xi tyof i s s ue s , how e ve r , doe s notf a c t ori nt o the s e l e c t i on of

am a rke tr a t e . I ns t e a d, c a s e c om pl e xi tyi s r e f l e c t e d i n the num be rof bi l l abl e hour s r e c or de d byc ouns e l . B l um , 465 U . S . a t898- 99; V a n S ki ke , 557 F . 3d a t1048. 4 m a rk e t r a te s ; in s te a d , th e ys u b m itte dc o p ie s o f s ix r e p o rte dL H W C A c a s e s w h e r e in A L J s ha d a w a r de d f

e e s t o a tt orne y s i n the W e s t e rn U ni t e d S t a t e s ba s e d noton m a rk e tp la c e r a te s b u t o n A L J - d e te rm in e dh o u r lyr a te s r a n g in g f r o m $ 2 2 5 to $ 3 0 0 . R e je c tin g D u p r e e ’s e v id e n c e o f m a rk e t r a te s , th e A L Js e le c te da n h o u r ly r a t e — $ 2 8 5 p e rh o u r— f r o m w i th i n th e r a n g e o f r a t e s r e p o rt e di n th e s i x LH W CA ca se s s ub m i tt ed by the re spon dent s. T he A L J thu s use d the verym etho do l og y that 1 w a s i nva l i da t e d i n V a n S ki ke a nd C hr i s t e ns e n. N a s s e ra l s o a r gue s tha tthe A L Je rr e d byde ny i ng f e e s on f e e s f ora l l of the a tto rn e ytim e s p e n t c h a lle n g in g th e A L J ’s a n dB R B ’s e n tr e n c h e dh o u r ly - r a te m e th o d o lo g y . T h e A L Jr e d u c e d th e h o u r s r e q u e s te db yD u p r e e in h is s uppl e m e nt a l appl i c a t i on f r om 136. 7 hour s t o 4. 05 hour s , e xpl a i ni ng tha tthe “s e v e r e ” d is c o u n t w a s “d u e to la c ko f s u c c e s s o n th e m a

jo ris s u e a r g u e d , th e h o u r ly r a t e s ought . ” B e c aus e D upr e e ha s now unque s t i onabl ypr e va i l e d on the i s s ue r e ga r di ng the B R B ’ s hour l y - r a t e m e thodol ogy , the A L J ’ s r a t i ona l e f orthe r e duc t i on i n hour s i s no l onge rva l i d.5

B ecau se th e A L J i n th i s case aw ard ed

— an dth e B R B affi rm ed

— att o rn eys’ f e e s b a s e d o n a n h o u r lyr a te m e th o d o lo g yth a t h a s b e e n in v a lid a te db yth is c o u rt, w e VA C A TE the B R B ’ s de c i s i on a nd RE MAND f o rth e a g e n c yd e c is io n m a k e rto re -e val uat e the fe e aw ar ds t o N as se r’ s a tt orneys . O n rem and, the agency de c i s i onm a ke ri s di r e c t e d ( 1) t o m a ke appr opr i a t e f i ndi ngs r e ga r di ng the r e l e va nt com m un i ty and the prevai l i ng m arketra t e i n acc ordance w i th o ur op i ni on s i n V an S k ik e a n d C h risten se n ; (2 ) to re co n sid erw h eth erth e h o u rs re q u es ted in D u p re e’s s u p p le m e n ta l f

e e ap p lic a tio n w e r e r e a s o n ab le u n d e rth e c ir c u m s ta n c e s ; a n d( 3 ) to r e c a lc u la te th e f

e e a w a r d s b a s e d o n th e f o r e g o in g f

a c to r s .