Opinion ID: 608803
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Ms. Douglass' Rate

Text: 26 In a cross-appeal, the Kattans allege that the district court abused its discretion by awarding them attorney's fees for Ms. Douglass' work at a rate of $125 per hour. The district court set Ms. Douglass' rate at this amount, despite the fact that the Kattans submitted a declaration stating that Ms. Douglass' normal billing rate in her private practice was $150 per hour. For the reasons stated below, we uphold the district court's calculation of fees for Ms. Douglass' services. 27 The HCPA provides that fees awarded under this subsection shall be based on rates prevailing in the community in which the action or proceeding arose for the kind and quality of services furnished. 20 U.S.C. § 1415(e)(4)(C). Both parties agree that an attorney's usual billing rate is presumptively the reasonable rate, provided that this rate is in line with those prevailing in the community for similar services by lawyers of reasonably comparable skill, experience, and reputation. Blum v. Stenson, 465 U.S. 886, 895-96 n. 11, 104 S.Ct. 1541, 1547 n. 11, 79 L.Ed.2d 891 (1984). The parties disagree as to whether the district court was justified, under this principle, in setting Ms. Douglass' rate at $125 instead of her normal billing rate of $150. 28 A district court's discretion as to the proper hourly rate to award counsel should not be upset absent clear misapplication of legal principles, arbitrary fact finding, or unprincipled disregard for the record evidence. King v. Palmer, 950 F.2d 771, 786 (D.C.Cir.1991) (en banc), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 112 S.Ct. 1290, 117 L.Ed.2d 514 (1992) & --- U.S. ----, 112 S.Ct. 3054, 120 L.Ed.2d 920 (1992). No such problems exist in the district court's fee award. The district court applied the law correctly and considered all the available evidence in setting the disputed rate. 29 The following evidence was available for the district court to consider when it established Ms. Douglass' rate: (1) an affidavit submitted by Ms. Douglass, stating her standard rate of $150 per hour and summarizing her education and experience; (2) a declaration by a local expert retained by the Kattans, setting out broad ranges of fees generally charged by attorneys with various levels of experience in Washington, D.C.; and (3) reports of similar cases in which fees were awarded for comparable work. 30 In its opposition to the Kattans' application for attorneys' fees, the District suggested that the district court award Ms. Douglass' fees at $75 per hour, the same rate awarded in Stebbing v. District of Columbia, another EHA case. C.A. No. 86-2549 (D.D.C. March 2, 1988). The district court, however, refused to set the rate at $75 per hour, because in Stebbing the litigation was not very complicated. On the other hand, the district court noted that other analogous decisions in this circuit have awarded attorneys' fees of $125 for partner time. The court specifically referred to Moore v. District of Columbia, 674 F.Supp. 901 (D.D.C.1987), an EHA case handled by a leading EHA firm in the District. The district court further noted that the plaintiffs had failed to cite a single case in which the fee award was greater than $125. 31 In light of the relevant case law and the affidavits submitted by Ms. Douglass, the district court reasonably determined that $125, a figure within the expert's range for attorneys with Ms. Douglass' experience, was the prevailing community rate for Ms. Douglass' [301 U.S.App.D.C. 379] services. In setting the fee, the district court considered Ms. Douglass' professional history, the complexity of the case, and the fees awarded in similar cases to attorneys with similar experience. Nothing more was required. Keeping sight of the deference which we owe the district court's fee determinations, we find no reason to overturn the district court's decision. 32 Finally, the Kattans contend that the district court erred by failing, when establishing Ms. Douglass' rate, to take into account a subparagraph of the HCPA, 20 U.S.C. § 1415(e)(4)(G). That subparagraph provides that the court should not reduce attorneys' fees that unreasonably exceed[ ] the hourly rate prevailing in the community for similar services by attorneys of reasonably comparable skill, experience, and reputation, as it is required to by § 1415(e)(4)(F)(ii), if it finds that the State or local educational agency unreasonably protracted the final resolution of the action or proceeding. 33 In 1988, the Kattans, asserting that the District had unreasonably protracted the litigation, moved for sanctions against the District under 20 U.S.C. § 1415(e)(4)(G), as well as under 28 U.S.C. § 1927 and Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. The Kattans argued in their supporting memoranda that the District's dilatory tactics warranted a greater fee award than that permitted under the HCPA's basic fee-shifting provision. 34 The Kattans contend that the district court neglected to consider their § 1415(e)(4)(G) claim. In its order of October 1, 1991, the district court expressly rejected the Kattans' motion for sanctions, stating that [a]lthough defendants' conduct in this case was far from exemplary, it does not rise to the level of conduct necessary for the imposition of sanctions under Fed.R.Civ.P. 11 or 28 U.S.C. § 1927. Although the district court did not explicitly mention § 1415(e)(4)(G), it implicitly rejected the Kattans' claim under that provision as well, since the Kattans relied on all three provisions in the same motion. In any case, the court clearly made findings as to the blameworthiness of the District's conduct sufficient to reject the Kattans' § 1415(e)(4)(G) claim. We are in no position to second-guess the district court's judgment as to whether the District of Columbia's tactics were unreasonable enough to warrant the award of extra fees.