Opinion ID: 628682
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Adjustment to the lodestar

Text: 21 After determining the lodestar by multiplying the reasonable hourly rate times the hours reasonably expended, the court must determine the necessity of an adjustment for the results obtained. Norman, 836 F.2d at 1302. Only if the results obtained are excellent should the court award the full lodestar amount. Hensley, 461 U.S. at 435, 103 S.Ct. at 1940. If the plaintiff obtains only partial or limited success, then a reduction in the lodestar is appropriate. Id.; Farrar v. Hobby, --- U.S. ----, ----, 113 S.Ct. 566, 575, 121 L.Ed.2d 494 (1992). See also Norman, 836 F.2d at 1302 (discussing how to adjust lodestar downward). Finally, in certain rare and exceptional cases, some upward adjustment of the loadstar might be called for. Pennsylvania v. Delaware Valley Citizens Council, 478 U.S. 546, 565, 106 S.Ct. 3088, 3098, 92 L.Ed.2d 439 (1986). 22 Ray urged twelve grounds in support of his argument that the lodestar should be enhanced by a factor of 1.6--namely the twelve Johnson factors. The district court relied on three of these factors in ascertaining a reasonable hourly rate for purposes of the lodestar. However, the district court failed to address the other nine factors. Indeed, the district court's award contains no discussion of enhancement. On appeal, Ray argues that the district court's failure to address each of these factors was an abuse of discretion. 23 We do not agree with Ray that the district court was required to totemically recite the twelve Johnson factors in determining whether to enhance the award. As the Supreme Court has repeatedly stated, those factors are appropriately considered as part of the lodestar itself. See Blanchard v. Bergeron, 489 U.S. 87 94-95, 109 S.Ct. 939, 944-45, 103 L.Ed.2d 67 (1989); Delaware Valley Citizens Council, 478 U.S. at 564-65, 106 S.Ct. at 3097-98; Blum, 465 U.S. at 900, 104 S.Ct. at 1549; Hensley, 461 U.S. at 434 n. 9, 103 S.Ct. at 1940 n. 9. Nevertheless, we are bound by precedent to hold that the district court abused its discretion by failing to discuss whether Ray's case was one of exceptional success. In NAACP v. City of Evergreen, 812 F.2d 1332, 1337 (11th Cir.1987), we reviewed a fee award where the prevailing plaintiff had sought enhancement based on several of the Johnson factors. Although we noted that those factors usually should not provide an independent basis for increasing the fee award, we remanded the award because the district court had failed to consider whether it was a case of exceptional success. Id. Following City of Evergreen, the district court on remand should consider whether adjustment of the lodestar upward or downward is appropriate.