Task: songer_initiate

What follows is an opinion from a United States Court of Appeals. Your task is to identify what party initiated the appeal. For cases with cross appeals or multiple docket numbers, if the opinion does not explicitly indicate which appeal was filed first, assumes that the first litigant listed as the "appellant" or "petitioner" was the first to file the appeal. In federal habeas corpus petitions, consider the prisoner to be the plaintiff.

PER CURIAM:
James B. Stephen, an attorney at law, appeals from an order of the district court which allowed him an attorney’s fee of $2,500.00, but denied the full amount of his request.
Stephen represented Charles L. Edg-ens, a social security claimant, in the district court and succeeded in obtaining an award for Edgens in the amount of $15,-584.20. Thereafter, Stephen petitioned the district court to approve an attorney’s fee equal to 25% of the accrued benefits or $3,896.05, the maximum fee allowable under 42 U.S.C.A. § 406(b) (1). The district court, after reviewing the entire record and considering all the circumstances of the case, awarded Stephen a $2,500.00 fee.
We have examined the briefs, appendix, and the record. We cannot say that the district court abused its discretion.
Accordingly, we find oral argument unnecessary and affirm the judgment below.
Affirmed.

Question: What party initiated the appeal?
A. Original plaintiff
B. Original defendant
C. Federal agency representing plaintiff
D. Federal agency representing defendant
E. Intervenor
F. Not applicable
G. Not ascertained
Answer:

Answer: A