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 a nd i s notpr e c e de nt * e xc e pta s pr ovi de d by 9th C i r . R . 36–3. T he panel un ani m ou sl y f i nd s thi s c as e s ui t abl e f

or deci si on w i tho utoral ** a r g u m e n t. See F ed. R . A pp . P . 34 (a )( 2). T he H onor abl e R obe rtH ol m e s B e l l , U ni t e d S t a t e s D i s tr i c tJ udge f orthe *** W e s t e rn D i s tr i c tof

M i c hi ga n, s i tt i ng by de 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 S T E V E N J A C K S O N , t o the us e of ER I C A. DU PR EE , P et i t i on er , v. D I RECTO R, O FFI CE O F W O RK ERS’ CO M PEN SA TI O N PRO G RA M S, UN I T E D S T AT E S DE P AR T ME NT OF L A B O R a n d L A B O R R E A D Y , I N C ., R esp o n d en t s, N o. 11- 71193 A ge nc yN o. 18- 75727

ME MOR AN DU M *

O n P e t i t i on f

orR e vi e w of

a n O r de rof

the B enef i t s R evi ew B oard S ubm i tt e d J a nua ry10, 2013 ** P a s a d e n a , C a lif

o rn ia Be f o r e : M c KEOW N a n d M . SM I TH, Ci r c u i tJ u d g e s , a n d BE LL , D is tr ic t J u d g e . *** 

# FI LED

JAN 15 2 013 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALST hi s f i gur e doe s noti nc l ude the $846 the B oa r d a dde d t o the a w a r d. N or 1 doe s i ti nc l ude the $12, 609 a w a r de d t o c o- c ouns e l J os huaG i l l e l a n. N e i the rof tho se am ou nt s are i n d i sput e. T rue B l ue, Inc. w as form er l y kno w n as L abor R ea dy, Inc. 2 2 P e t i t i one rS t e ve n J a c ks on pe t i t i ons f orr e vi e w of

the f i na l or de rof

the B en efi t s R ev i ew B o ard , affi rm i n g th e O ffi ce o f W o rk ers’ C o m p en sat i o n P ro g ram s’ D i s tr i c tD i r e c t or ’ s or de rr e duc i ng the hour s a nd f e e s i n a n a tt orne y ’ s f

e e pe t i t i on and g rant i ng Ja ckson’ s att orneys , E ri c D up re e and P aul M ye rs , an att orney f ee a w a r d of $16, 736. 50. W e ha ve j ur i s di c t i on pur s ua ntt o 33 U . S . C . § 921( c ) . F or

1 th e f o l l o wi n g r e a s o n s , we d e n y th e p e t i t i o n f o rr e v i e w. W e r e vi e w a n a w a r d of

a tt orne y ’ s f

e e s f orabus e of

di s c r e t i on. T

ah ara v. M at son T erm i na l s, Inc. , 51 1 F . 3d 95 0, 95 2 (9th C i r. 20 07 ). “ A ny el em ent s of l egal a na l y s i s tha tf

i gur e i nt o the f

e e de t e rm i na t i on a r e s ubj e c tt o de novo r e vi e w , a nd w e r evi ew un derl yi ng fa ctual det erm i nat i on s f or cl ear e rr or. ” I

d. Ja ckson w as s uc c e s s f ul on af e de r a l w orke r s ’ c om pe ns a t i on c l a i m a ga i ns tR e s ponde ntT rue B l ue , I nc . , a nd thus he i s e nt i t l e d t o a“ r e a s onabl e a tt orne y ’ s f e e ” pur s ua ntt o § 28 2 o f th e L o n g sh o re an d H arb o r W o rk er’ s C o m p en sat i o n A ct , 3 3 U . S . C . § 9 2 8 . “ U se of the ‘ l ode s t a rm e thod’ t o c a l c ul a t e a tt orne y ’ s f e e s unde raf

e de r a l f e e - s hi f t i ng st atut e i s proper. ” T

a h a ra , 511 F . 3d a t955 ( c i t i ng Staton v . B oe i ng C o. , 327 F . 3d 938, 965 ( 9th C i r . 2003) ) . “ T he l ode s t a rm e thod r e qui r e s the c ourtt o m ul t i pl ythe nu m ber of hou rs re as on abl y e xp ended o n the l i t i gat i on by a r ea sonabl e hou rl y r at e.3

. . . I n c a lc u la tin g th e n u m b e ro f h o u r s r e a s o n ab lye x p e n d e d , ad is tr ic t c o u rt is to excl ud e hou rs thatar e ‘ exce ss i ve, re du nd ant , or otherw i se un nece ss ary. ’ ” I d. ( quot i ng H

en sley v. E ckerh a rt , 46 1 U . S . 42 4, 43 4 (19 83 )) . T he att orneys ’ fe es i n d i sput e r el at e t o t i m e s pentby D up re e and M ye rs s o le lyin th e f

e e p r o c e e d in g . T h e D is tr ic t D ir e c to rd is a llo w e d 6 0 .6 o f th e 8 0 .4 ho urs s penton tw o repl y bri ef s bec ause these ho urs w er e “ exce ss i ve/un nece ss ary bi l l i ng ” and w er e “ du pl i ca t i ve i n n ature or e xces si ve for the sc op e of thi s c as e. ” “T h e d is tr ic t c o u rt n e e d o n lyp r o v id e a‘c o n c is e b u t c le a re x p la n a tio n o f its re as on s’ for r educi ng the nu m bers of ho urs i ncl ud ed i n the fe e aw ar d. ” T a h a ra , 511 F . 3d a t956 ( quot i ng V an G e rw e n v . G uar ante e Mut. L i f e C o. , 214 F . 3d 1041, 1 0 4 5 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 0 0 ) ) . W e c o n c lu d e th a t th e D is tr ic t D ir e c to r ’s e x p la n a tio n f u lly c o m p lie d w ith th is r e q u ir e m e n t. A d d itio n a lly , w e c o n c lu d e b o th th a t th e D is tr ic t D ir e c to rd id n o t ab u s e h is di sc re t i on i n reduci ng the ho urs c l ai m ed and thatthe am ou ntof the fe e aw ar d w as suff i ci ent . “ [T ] he di stri ctcourthas di sc re t i on i n d et erm i ni ng the am ou ntof a f ee a w a r d. T hi s i s appr opr i a t e i n vi e w of the di s tr i c tc ourt ’ s s upe r i orunde r s t a ndi ng of the l i t i gat i on . . . . ” H

ensley , 46 1 U . S . at43 7. T he cl ai m ed ho urs occ urre d aft er J a c ks on’ s s uc c e s s on the m e r i t s , a nd w i thoutthe D i s tr i c tD i r e c t or ’ s r e duc t i on, the c la im e d h o u r s w o u ld h a v e r e s u lte d in a n a tto rn e y s ’ f e e a w a r d d is p r o p o rtio n a te to J a c ks on’ s a w a r d.4

F i na l l y , w e c onc l ude tha tthe B oa r d appl i e d the c orr e c ts t a nda r d i n a f f i rm i ng th e D i stri ctD i rect o r’ s red u ct i o n o f th e h o u rs. P E T I T I ON DE NI E D.