Source: http://ar.findacase.com/research/wfrmDocViewer.aspx/xq/fac.20180306_0000290.WAR.htm/qx
Timestamp: 2019-04-19 10:44:03+00:00

Document:
P. K. HOLMES, III CHIEF U.S. DISTRICT JUDGE.
Pending now before this Court is Plaintiff's Application for Attorney Fees Under the Equal Access to Justice Act (“EAJA”). ECF No. 19. With this Motion, Plaintiff requests an EAJA award of $5, 693.10. Id. On February 28, 2018, Defendant responded to this Motion and objects (1) to work performed on August 22, 2016 as not all having been done before the District Court and (2) because the fees are not appropriate because the government's position was substantially justified. ECF No. 22.
James Earl Mashburn (“Plaintiff”) appealed to this Court from the Secretary of the Social Security Administration's (“SSA”) denial of his request for disability benefits. ECF No. 1. On November16, 2017, Plaintiff's case was remanded pursuant to sentence four of 42 U.S.C. § 405(g). ECF No. 18.
On February 14, 2018, Plaintiff filed the present Motion requesting an award of attorney's fees under the EAJA. ECF No 19. With this Motion, Plaintiff requests an award of attorney's fees and costs of $5, 693.10. Id. This amount represents 5.65 attorney hours at an hourly rate of $188.00 for work performed in 2016, 15.25 attorney hours at an hourly rate of $192.00 for work performed in 2017, 1.15 attorney hours at an hourly rate of $196.00 for work performed in 2018, and 19.70 paralegal hours at an hourly rate of $75.00. Id. Defendant responded to this Motion on February 28, 2018 and objects to work performed on August 22, 2016 as not all having been done before the District Court and (2) the fees are not appropriate because the government's position was substantially justified. ECF No. 22.
Pursuant to the EAJA, 28 U.S.C. § 2412(d)(1)(A), a court must award attorney's fees to a prevailing social security claimant unless the Secretary's position in denying benefits was substantially justified. The Secretary has the burden of proving that the denial of benefits was substantially justified. See Jackson v. Bowen, 807 F.2d 127, 128 (8th Cir.1986) (“The Secretary bears the burden of proving that its position in the administrative and judicial proceedings below was substantially justified”). An EAJA application also must be made within thirty days of a final judgment in an action, See 28 U.S.C. § 2412(d)(1)(B), or within thirty days after the sixty day time for appeal has expired. See Shalala v. Schaefer, 509 U.S. 292, 298 (1993).
Id. Furthermore, awarding fees under both acts facilitates the purposes of the EAJA, which is to shift to the United States the prevailing party's litigation expenses incurred while contesting unreasonable government action. See id.; Cornella v. Schweiker, 728 F.2d 978, 986 (8th Cir. 1984).
The statutory ceiling for an EAJA fee award is $125.00 per hour. See 28 U.S.C. § 2412(d)(2)(A). A court is only authorized to exceed this statutory rate if “the court determines that an increase in the cost of living or a special factor, such as the limited availability of qualified attorneys for the proceedings involved, justifies a higher fee.” Id. A court may determine that there has been an increase in the cost of living, and may thereby increase the attorney's rate per hour, based upon the United States Department of Labor's Consumer Price Index (“CPI”). See Johnson v. Sullivan, 919 F.2d 503, 504 (8th Cir. 1990).
In the present action, Plaintiff's case was remanded to the SSA. ECF No. 18. Defendant does not contest Plaintiff's claim that he is the prevailing party and does not object to the hourly rate he requested. ECF No. 22.

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