In the United States Court of Federal Claims 

OFFICE OF SPECIAL MASTERS

No. 17-1774V

Filed: October 29, 2020

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

ESTON HOOD, * UNPUBLISHED

Petitioner, *

*

v. * Attorneys’ Fees and Costs

 *

SECRETARY OF HEALTH * 

AND HUMAN SERVICES, *

 *

 Respondent. *

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Ronald Homer, Conway Homer, P.C., Boston, M.A., for petitioner.

Julia Collison, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, DC, for respondent.

DECISION ON ATTORNEYS’ FEES AND COSTS1

Roth, Special Master:

On November 13, 2017, Eston Hood (“Mr. Hood” or “petitioner”) filed a petition for

compensation under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program.2 Petitioner alleges that

he suffered Guillain-Barré syndrome after receiving an influenza vaccine on October 31, 2014. 

See Petition, ECF No. 1. On March 23, 2020, Respondent filed his proffer which the undersigned 

adopted as her decision awarding compensation on the same day. ECF No. 58.

On July 16, 2020, petitioner filed an application for final attorneys’ fees and costs. ECF 

No. 63 (“Fees App.”). Petitioner requests total attorneys’ fees and costs in the amount of

$63,044.16 (representing $44,439.30 in attorneys’ fees and $18,153.67 in costs). Fees App. at 2. 

Pursuant to General Order No. 9, counsel for petitioner warrants that petitioner has personally 

incurred costs in the amount of $451.19. ECF No. 64. Respondent responded to the motion on 

1 The undersigned intends to post this Decision on the United States Court of Federal Claims' website. This 

means the decision will be available to anyone with access to the Internet. In accordance with Vaccine 

Rule 18(b), petitioner has 14 days to identify and move to redact medical or other information, the 

disclosure of which would constitute an unwarranted invasion of privacy. If, upon review, the undersigned 

agrees that the identified material fits within this definition, the undersigned will redact such material from 

public access. Because this unpublished ruling contains a reasoned explanation for the action in this case,

the undersigned is required to post it on the United States Court of Federal Claims' website in accordance 

with the E-Government Act of 2002. 44 U.S.C. § 3501 note (2012) (Federal Management and Promotion 

of Electronic Government Services).
2

July 21, 2020, stating “Respondent issatisfied the statutory requirementsfor an award of attorneys’

fees and costs are met in this case” and requesting that the undersigned “exercise her discretion 

and determine a reasonable award for attorneys’ fees and costs.” Response at 2-3, ECF No. 65. 

Petitioner did not file a reply thereafter.

This matter is now ripe for consideration.

I. Legal Framework

The Vaccine Act permits an award of “reasonable attorneys' fees” and “other costs.” § 

15(e)(1). If a petitioner succeeds on the merits of his or her claim, the award of attorneys' fees is 

automatic. Id.; see Sebelius v. Cloer, 133 S. Ct. 1886, 1891 (2013). However, a petitioner need not 

prevail on entitlement to receive a fee award as long as the petition was brought in “good faith” 

and there was a “reasonable basis” for the claim to proceed. § 15(e)(1). Here, because petitioner 

was awarded compensation pursuant to a proffer, he is entitled to a final award of reasonable 

attorneys’ fees and costs.

The Federal Circuit has endorsed the use of the lodestar approach to determine what 

constitutes “reasonable attorneys' fees” and “other costs” under the Vaccine Act. Avera v. Sec'y of 

Health & Human Servs., 515 F.3d 1343, 1349 (Fed. Cir. 2008). Under this approach, “an initial 

estimate of a reasonable attorneys' fees” is calculated by “multiplying the number of hours 

reasonably expended on the litigation times a reasonable hourly rate.” Id. at 1347–48 (quoting 

Blum v. Stenson, 465 U.S. 886, 888 (1984)). That product is then adjusted upward or downward 

based on other specific findings. Id.

Special masters have substantial discretion in awarding fees and may adjust a fee request 

sua sponte, apart from objections raised by respondent and without providing petitioners with 

notice and opportunity to respond. See Sabella v. Sec'y of Health & Human Servs., 86 Fed. Cl. 

201, 209 (2009). Special masters need not engage in a line-by-line analysis of petitioner's fee 

application when reducing fees. See Broekelschen v. Sec'y of Health & Human Servs., 102 Fed. 

Cl. 719, 729 (2011).

II. Discussion

A. Reasonable Hourly Rate

A “reasonable hourly rate” is defined as the rate “prevailing in the community for similar 

services by lawyers of reasonably comparable skill, experience and reputation.” Avera, 515 F.3d 

at 1348 (quoting Blum, 465 U.S. at 896 n.11). In general, this rate is based on “the forum rate for 

the District of Columbia” rather than “the rate in the geographic area of the practice of petitioner's 

attorney.” Rodriguez v. Sec'y of Health & Human Servs., 632 F.3d 1381, 1384 (Fed. Cir. 2011) 

(citing Avera, 515 F. 3d at 1349). There is a “limited exception” that provides for attorney's fees 

to be awarded at local hourly rates when “the bulk of the attorney's work is done outside the forum 

jurisdiction” and “there is a very significant difference” between the local hourly rate and forum 

hourly rate. Id. This is known as the Davis County exception. See Hall v. Sec'y of Health & Human 
3

Servs., 640 F.3d 1351, 1353 (2011) (citing Davis Cty. Solid Waste Mgmt. & Energy Recovery 

Special Serv. Dist. v. U.S. EPA, 169 F.3d 755, 758 (D.C. Cir. 1999)).

For cases in which forum rates apply, McCulloch provides the framework for determining 

the appropriate hourly rate range for attorneys' fees based upon the attorneys' experience. See

McCulloch v. Sec'y of Health & Human Servs., No. 09–293V, 2015 WL 5634323 (Fed. Cl. Spec. 

Mstr. Sept. 1, 2015). The Office of Special Masters has accepted the decision in McCulloch and 

has issued a Fee Schedule for subsequent years.2

Petitioner requests the following hourly rates for the work of his counsel Mr. Homer, 

associate attorneys, law clerks and paralegals: 

2017 2018 2019 2020

R. Homer $409 $421 $430 $447

M. Daniels $286 $294 $320 $350

J. Pepper - $305 $325 $355

L. Faga - $289 $285 -

C. Ciampolillo - - $350 -

P. Kelly - - - $225

Law Clerks $148 $152 $155 $155

Paralegals $138 $142 $145 $155

These hourly rates are consistent with what Mr. Homer and his staff have previously been 

awarded for their Vaccine Program work, and the undersigned finds them to be reasonable herein.

B. Hours Reasonably Expended

Attorneys' fees are awarded for the “number of hours reasonably expended on the 

litigation.” Avera, 515 F.3d at 1348. Counsel should not include in their fee requests hours that are 

“excessive, redundant, or otherwise unnecessary.” Saxton ex rel. Saxton v. Sec'y of Health & 

Human Servs., 3 F.3d 1517, 1521 (Fed. Cir. 1993) (quoting Hensley v. Eckerhart, 461 U.S. 424, 

434 (1983)). “Unreasonably duplicative or excessive billing” includes “an attorney billing for a 

single task on multiple occasions, multiple attorneys billing for a single task, attorneys billing 

excessively for intra office communications, attorneys billing excessive hours, [and] attorneys 

entering erroneous billing entries.” Raymo v. Sec'y of Health & Human Servs., 129 Fed. Cl. 691, 

703 (2016). While attorneys may be compensated for non-attorney-level work, the rate must be 

comparable to what would be paid for a paralegal or secretary. See O'Neill v. Sec'y of Health & 

Human Servs., No. 08–243V, 2015 WL 2399211, at *9 (Fed. Cl. Spec. Mstr. Apr. 28, 2015). 

Clerical and secretarial tasks should not be billed at all, regardless of who performs them. See, e.g., 

McCulloch, 2015 WL 5634323, at *26. Hours spent traveling are ordinarily compensated at onehalf of the normal hourly attorney rate. See Scott v. Sec'y of Health & Human Servs., No. 08–756V, 

2 The 2015-2020 Fee Schedules can be accessed at http://www.cofc.uscourts.gov/node/2914. The hourly 

rates contained within the schedules are updated from the decision in McCulloch v. Sec’y of Health & 

Human Servs., No. 09-293V, 2015 WL 5634323 (Fed. Cl. Spec. Mstr. Sept. 1, 2015).
4

2014 WL 2885684, at *3 (Fed. Cl. Spec. Mstr. June 5, 2014) (collecting cases). And “it is 

inappropriate for counsel to bill time for educating themselves about basic aspects of the Vaccine 

Program.” Matthews v. Sec'y of Health & Human Servs., No 14–1111V, 2016 WL 2853910, at *2 

(Fed. Cl. Spec. Mstr. Apr. 18, 2016). Ultimately, it is “well within the Special Master's discretion 

to reduce the hours to a number that, in [her] experience and judgment, [is] reasonable for the work 

done.” Saxton, 3 F.3d at 1522. In exercising that discretion, special masters may reduce the number 

of hours submitted by a percentage of the amount charged. See Broekelschen, 102 Fed. Cl. at 728–

29 (affirming the Special Master's reduction of attorney and paralegal hours); Guy v. Sec'y of 

Health & Human Servs., 38 Fed. Cl. 403, 406 (1997) (same).

The overall hours spent on this matter appear to be reasonable. The undersigned has 

reviewed the billing entries and finds that they adequately describe the work done on the case and 

the amount of time spent on that work. None of the entries appear objectionable, nor has respondent 

identified any entries as objectionable. Accordingly, petitioner is entitled to a final award of 

attorneys’ fees in the amount of $44,439.30.

C. Reasonable Costs

Like attorneys’ fees, a request for reimbursement of attorneys’ costs must be reasonable.

Perreira v. Sec’y of Health & Human Servs., 27 Fed. Cl. 29, 34 (Fed. Cl. 1992). Petitioner requests 

a total of $18,153.67 in costs for acquiring medical records, costs associated with travel, shipping

and the Court’s filing fee. The undersigned finds these costs reasonable and supported with 

adequate documentation. Accordingly, petitioner is entitled to the full amount of costs sought.

III. Conclusion

In accordance with the foregoing, petitioner’s motion for attorneys’ fees and costs is 

GRANTED. The undersigned finds that the petitioner is entitled to a reimbursement of attorneys’ 

fees and costs as follows:

1) A lump sum of $62,592.97, representing reimbursement for attorneys’ fees and

costs, in the form of a check payable jointly to petitioner and petitioner’s counsel, 

Ronald Homer; and

2) A lump sum of $451.19, representing reimbursement for petitioner’s costs, in the 

form of a check payable to petitioner.3

In the absence of a motion for review filed pursuant to RCFC Appendix B, the clerk of the 

court shall enter judgment in accordance herewith.4

3 This amount is intended to cover all legal expenses incurred in this matter. This award encompasses all charges by 

the attorney against a client, “advanced costs,” and fees for legal services rendered. Furthermore, Section 15(e)(3) 

prevents an attorney from charging or collecting fees (including costs) that would be in addition to the amount awarded 

herein. See generally Beck v. Sec’y of Health & Human Servs., 924 F.2d 1029 (Fed. Cir. 1991).

4 Entry of judgment can be expedited by each party’s filing of a notice renouncing the right to seek review. Vaccine 

Rule 11(a).
5

IT IS SO ORDERED.

s/Mindy Michaels Roth

 Mindy Michaels Roth

Special Master