Hearth v. Secretary of Health and Human Services

In the United States Court of Federal Claims

OFFICE OF SPECIAL MASTERS No. 19-0589V (not to be published)

SCOTT B. HEARTH, M.D.,

Chief Special Master Corcoran Petitioner,

v. Filed: April 26, 2022 SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND Special Processing Unit (SPU); HUMAN SERVICES, Attorney’s Fees and Costs

Respondent.

William E. Cochran, Jr., Black McLaren Jones Ryland & Griffee, P.C., Memphis, TN , for Petitioner.

Voris Edward Johnson, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, DC, for Respondent.

DECISION ON ATTORNEY’S FEES AND COSTS 1

On April 22, 2019, Scott B. Hearth, M.D. filed a petition for compensation under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, 42 U.S.C. §300aa-10, et seq. 2 (the “Vaccine Act”). Petitioner alleges that he suffered a shoulder injury related to vaccine administration as a result of a tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis vaccine he received on June 15, 2016. (Petition at 1). On November 1, 2022, a decision was issued awarding compensation to Petitioner in the amount of $67,500.00. (ECF No. 59).

Petitioner has now filed a motion for attorney’s fees and costs, dated March 10, 2022 (ECF No. 59), requesting a total award of $46,012.37 (representing $43,600.40 in fees and $2,411.97 in costs). In accordance with General Order No. 9, Petitioner has also filed a signed statement indicating that he incurred no out-of-pocket expenses. (ECF No. 59-3). Respondent reacted to the motion on March 14, 2022, stating that he is satisfied that the statutory requirements for an award of attorney’s fees and costs are met in this case, but deferring resolution of the amount to be awarded to my discretion. (ECF No. 60). Petitioner did not file a reply thereafter.

ANALYSIS

The Vaccine Act permits an award of reasonable attorney’s fees and costs. Section 15(e). Counsel must submit fee requests that include contemporaneous and specific billing records indicating the service performed, the number of hours expended on the service, and the name of the person performing the service. See Savin v. Sec’y of Health & Hum. Servs., 85 Fed. Cl. 313, 316-18 (2008). Counsel should not include in their fee requests hours that are “excessive, redundant, or otherwise unnecessary.” Saxton v. Sec’y of Health & Hum. Servs., 3 F.3d 1517, 1521 (Fed. Cir. 1993) (quoting Hensley v. Eckerhart, 461 U.S. 424, 434 (1983)). It is “well within the special master’s discretion to reduce the hours to a number that, in [her] experience and judgment, [is] reasonable for the work done.” Id. at 1522. Furthermore, the special master may reduce a fee request sua sponte, apart from objections raised by respondent and without providing a petitioner notice and opportunity to respond. See Sabella v. Sec’y of Health & Hum. Servs., 86 Fed. Cl. 201, 209 (2009). A special master need not engage in a line-by-line analysis of petitioner’s fee application when reducing fees. Broekelschen v. Sec’y of Health & Hum. Servs., 102 Fed. Cl. 719, 729 (2011).

The petitioner “bears the burden of establishing the hours expended, the rates charged, and the expenses incurred.” Wasson v. Sec’y of Health & Hum. Servs., 24 Cl. Ct. 482, 484 (1991). The Petitioner “should present adequate proof [of the attorney’s fees and costs sought] at the time of the submission.” Wasson, 24 Cl. Ct. at 484 n.1. Petitioner’s counsel “should make a good faith effort to exclude from a fee request hours that are excessive, redundant, or otherwise unnecessary, just as a lawyer in private practice ethically is obligated to exclude such hours from his fee submission.” Hensley, 461 U.S. at 434.

ATTORNEY FEES

Petitioner requests compensation for attorney William Cochran and fellow attorney Michael McLaren at the following rates:

2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 $377 $391 $405 $420 $435

William Cochran

X $464 $484 X $501 Michael McLaren

(ECF No. 59-2 at 16).

The requested rates for time billed between 2018-21 are reasonable and consistent with what has previously been awarded for work these attorneys have performed for other petitioners. In addition, the requested increases for 2022 are appropriate and will be awarded.

Petitioner also requests the rate of $355 per hour for time billed by law clerks in 2022. (ECF No. 59 at 7). Although the detailed billing records show that no time was billed at this rate by any law clerks, it is considered excessive for a non-barred student. In future, if time should be billed at this rate for law clerks, it shall be reduced to the appropriate rate of a paralegal.

ATTORNEY COSTS

Petitioner requests $2,411.97 in overall costs. (ECF No. 59-2 at 18). This amount is comprised of obtaining medical records, travel costs and the Court’s filing fee. I have reviewed all of the requested costs and find them to be reasonable and shall award them in full.

CONCLUSION

The Vaccine Act permits an award of reasonable attorney’s fees and costs. Section 15(e). Accordingly, I hereby GRANT Petitioner’s Motion for attorney’s fees and costs. I award a total of $46,012.37 (representing $43,600.40 in fees and $2,411.97 in costs) as a lump sum in the form of a check jointly payable to Petitioner and Petitioner’s counsel. In the absence of a timely-filed motion for review (see Appendix B to the Rules of the Court), the Clerk shall enter judgment in accordance with this Decision. 3 IT IS SO ORDERED. s/Brian H. Corcoran Brian H. Corcoran Chief Special Master