Source: http://ia.findacase.com/research/wfrmDocViewer.aspx/xq/fac.20150716_0001168.NIA.htm/qx
Timestamp: 2018-04-23 19:03:15
Document Index: 779158020

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 2412', '§ 2412', 'art, 321', 'art, 398', '§ 2412', 'art, 459']

ORDER REGARDING PLAINTIFF'S APPLICATION FOR AN AWARD OF ATTORNEY FEES
This matter is before me on plaintiff's application (Doc. No. 18) for an award of attorney fees pursuant to the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA), 28 U.S.C. § 2412(d). On April 23, 2015, I entered an order (Doc. No. 16) that reversed and remanded the decision of the Commissioner of Social Security (Commissioner). Plaintiff now requests an award of attorney fees in the amount of $5, 138.80, representing (a) 19.7 hours of attorney work at a rate of $188.51 per hour in 2014, (b) 1.3 hours of attorney work at a rate of $189.30 per hour in 2015 and (c) 13.1 hours of legal assistant work at a rate of $90 per hour. She has submitted an affidavit and other materials in support of her motion.
The Commissioner has filed a response (Doc. No. 19) stating that she has no objection to entry of an EAJA award in the amount of $5, 138.80, to be paid by the Social Security Administration, but notes that the award is payable to plaintiff, not to plaintiff's counsel, and is therefore subject to offset to satisfy any pre-existing debt plaintiff may owe to the United States. Doc. No. 19 at 1 (citing Astrue v. Ratliff, 560 U.S. 586 (2010)).
Id. § 2412(d)(1)(A) (emphasis added). The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals has had little occasion to elaborate on what constitutes "special circumstances." See Koss v. Sullivan, 982 F.2d 1226, 1229 (8th Cir. 1993) (looking to see whether special circumstances make an award unjust, and finding none, but stating "the denial of fees to counsel whose efforts brought about the Secretary's change of position is unjust"). The Eighth Circuit has, however, specifically addressed when a position is "substantially justified." See, e.g., Lauer v. Barnhart, 321 F.3d 762, 764-65 (8th Cir. 2003); Cornella v. Schweiker, 728 F.2d 978, 981-82 (8th Cir. 1984).
Goad v. Barnhart, 398 F.3d 1021, 1025 (8th Cir. 2005) (citations omitted); see Lauer, 321 F.3d at 765 (recognizing "the overriding, fundamental principal [sic] that the government's position must be well founded in fact to be substantially justified"); Sawyers v. Shalala, 990 F.2d 1033, 1034 (8th Cir. 1993) ("To be substantially justified, the [Commissioner] must show that her position was justified to a degree that could satisfy a reasonable person.'" (quoting Pierce v. Underwood, 487 U.S. 552, 565 (1988))).
To obtain an EAJA award, the party must apply for the award "within thirty days of final judgment in the action" and "allege that the position of the United States was not substantially justified." 28 U.S.C. § 2412(d)(1)(B). However, "the provision's 30-day deadline for fee applications and its application-content specifications are not properly typed jurisdictional, '" but instead are "ancillary to the judgment of a court." Scarborough v. Principi, 541 U.S. 401, 413-14 (2004). The government may waive this requirement because it is present to protect the government's interests. See Vasquez v. Barnhart, 459 F.Supp.2d 835, 836 (N.D. Iowa 2006).
[A]ttorney fees shall not be awarded in excess of $125 per hour unless the court determines that an increase in the cost of living or a special factor, such as the limited availability of qualified attorneys ...