Opinion ID: 628648
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: the amount of attorney fees

Text: 19 The Supreme Court in Hensley v. Eckerhart, 461 U.S. 424, 103 S.Ct. 1933, 76 L.Ed.2d 40 (1983), explained that the most useful starting point for determining the amount of a reasonable fee is the number of hours reasonably expended on the litigation multiplied by a reasonable hourly rate. Id. at 433, 103 S.Ct. at 1939. The Court suggested that the district court must focus on the degree of reducing the amount of the award to account for limited success or for time spent on unsuccessful claims. 7 The Court emphasized that the district court has the discretion to reduce the award. This is appropriate in view of the district court's superior understanding of the litigation and the desirability of avoiding frequent appellate review of what essentially are factual matters. Id. at 437, 103 S.Ct. at 1941. 20 The Supreme Court elaborated further in Pennsylvania v. Delaware Valley Citizens' Council, 483 U.S. 711, 725, 107 S.Ct. 3078, 3086, 97 L.Ed.2d 585 (1987), where the Court was unconvinced that Congress intended the risk of losing a lawsuit to be an independent basis for increasing the amount of any otherwise reasonable fee for the time and effort expended in prevailing. Thus, the Court concluded that any enhancement for risky cases is unnecessary under the reasonable lodestar formula because the legal skills and the experience of the attorney, as well as the novelty of the question, will be reflected in the number of hours and the hourly rate. The Court concluded it might be duplicative to increase the fee unless the case is an exceptional case where such fee is warranted by the evidence in the record. Id. at 728, 107 S.Ct. at 3088. This court reviews the district court's fee determination for an abuse of discretion. Finding none, we AFFIRM on this issue also.
21 The district court refused to reimburse the plaintiffs for Green's hours due to his deceit. Because Green failed to inform the district court that he had been disbarred, the district court determined that Green should not be paid for any of his hours. The district court explained further that even if the court considered reimbursing Green for his hours, his claim was exorbitant. Green billed over 800 hours to the plaintiffs between 1983 and 1984. 22 Local Rule 2.6 (now Rule 83.4) requires that local attorneys comply with Federal Rule Disciplinary Enforcement II which, in turn, requires the attorney to inform the clerk of the court about his disbarment. The ability to practice in federal courts derives from the license obtained in a state court, and since Green had no license and did not follow the local rules, the district court did not abuse its discretion. See Berger v. Cuyahoga Bar Assoc., 983 F.2d 718 (6th Cir.), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 113 S.Ct. 2416, 124 L.Ed.2d 639 (1993).
23 The plaintiffs complain of the $150 hourly rate applied to the remaining hours in the fee application. Essentially, they argue that since Judge Weber awarded $250 an hour, then so should Judge Rubin. Judge Weber's order does not specify an hourly rate, but enumerated the exact amount to be paid. Judge Rubin, after reviewing the 1983 local study, increased the hourly rate to account for inflation. Moreover, he awarded both attorneys the same hourly rate despite the fact that an intermediate partner's average hourly rate was only approximately $113 and the senior partner's rate was approximately $125. The court awarded both attorneys $150 an hour. We find no abuse of discretion in this decision.
24 After this court reversed the verdict as to one of the defendants, the district court reduced the fee award one-eighth since that was the proportionate share of the damages for that defendant. The district court, however, did not reduce the award for the unsuccessful Ohio fraud claim because it determined that RICO claims dominated the suit. The district court has, within its discretion, the power to determine the reasonable attorney fees owing to qualified litigants. That power includes the discretion to reduce the amount of a fee award based on unsuccessful claims. Judge Rubin tried this case and was in a much better position than this court to determine the fee award. We also find no abuse of discretion in this determination. 25 We, accordingly, AFFIRM the district court's award of attorney fees in its entirety.