Court Opinion

ID: 9489927
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 13:27:57.036366+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:53:48.126210
License: Public Domain

WELLFORD, Circuit Judge,
concurring.
I concur in my colleague’s well-considered opinion but write separately to emphasize several aspects of the district court’s decision that deserve attention. First, this court, acting en banc, recently considered the question of attorney fees in this type of case, and the majority stated, among other things, that it is difficult to compare the worth of legal services in social security eases and in the ordinary tort or personal injury case. Rodriquez v. Bowen, Secretary of H.H.S., 865 F.2d 739, 743 (1989). The court in Rodriquez noted Congress’ concern that attorneys representing plaintiffs on occasion have charged “what appear to be inordinately large fees for representing plaintiffs ... usually [as a] result [of] a contingent fee arrangement.” Id. at 744. We made it clear in Rodriquez that “a court is not bound to award recovery [of attorney fees] according to the stated agreement,” although we recognized it as a factor to consider. Id. at 746. We also indicated that maximum fees should only be granted where there have been extensive and unusual services rendered. I doubt that criterion is met in this case.
I agree that Hayes v. Secretary, 923 F.2d 418 (6th Cir.1991), does not control under these circumstances regarding the timing of the “contingent fee” agreement. In Royzer v. Secretary, 900 F.2d 981, 982 (6th Cir.1990), we indicated, moreover, that it was not improper for a district court to reduce a contingent fee rate to a reasonable hourly rate to arrive at a reasonable allowable fee, and in that case, we found approximately $150 an hour to be “on the high side” but not unreasonable. In McGuire v. Bowen, 900 F.2d 984 (6th Cir.1990), the requested fee was $125 an hour, and this court held it error to attempt to reduce it below that reasonable level. Hayes did recognize that Rodriquez gives the district court “license to consider the hourly rate represented.” 923 F.2d at 421.
I believe that if Hayes is an anomaly, in light of other cases cited; it does not, in my view, comport with the en banc Rodriquez decision and with the amount of fees considered reasonable in Royzer and McGuire (discussing fees in the range of $125 to $150 an hour). Hayes does not help the effort to bring order to allowances of reasonable fees in social security cases.
The district judge in this case is an experienced trial judge who made a fee award that, in this writer’s view, was “on the high side” *858but not beyond the bounds of reasonableness and well within his discretion. I would, accordingly, AFFIRM the fee award of $4,200. I concur entirely with the conclusion that plaintiff is entitled to no attorney fee on the basis of the Equal Access to Justice Act.