Reeves v. Commissioner of the Social Security Administration

Filing 37

ORDER granting 33 Motion for Attorney Fees per Rule 406b: It is ordered that the plaintiff's attorney may collect a fee of $10,130.90 from past due benefits. Plaintiff's attorney must refund to the plaintiff the EAJA award of $5,347.01. Signed by Honorable Joseph F Anderson, Jr on 6/12/2015.(gnan )

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF SOUTH CAROLINA

Andy Reeves,

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Plaintiff,
v.

C/A No.: 4:12-3524-JFA

FOR ATTORNEY FEES

ORDER ON MOTION

Carolyn C. Colvin,
Commissioner of Social Security,

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Defendant.
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This matter is before the court upon motion of plaintiff’s counsel, Paul T. McChesney,
for attorney fees under the Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. § 406(b). Counsel has submitted
copies of the Notice of Award from the Commissioner and the plaintiff’s signed Fee
Agreement. The Commissioner has responded to the motion indicating that she has no
substantive objection to the amount sought.
Plaintiff’s counsel petitions the court for approval of the federal court related fee in
the amount $10,130.90 pursuant to the terms of a written contingent-fee agreement with the
plaintiff. That contingent-fee agreement provides, in pertinent part, for the payment of
attorney fees in the amount of 25% of all past-due benefits recovered. The plaintiff’s
attorney has previously been granted fees by this court in the amount of $5,347.01 under the
Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA), 28 U.S.C. § 2412.
In the United States Supreme Court case of Gisbrecht v. Barnhart, 535 U.S. 780
(2002), the Court held that the provision of the Social Security Act limiting attorney fees to

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25% of past-due benefits does not displace contingent-fee agreements that are within such
statutory ceiling, and instructs courts to review for reasonableness fees yielded by such
agreements. In addition, if the claimant has been awarded attorney fees under EAJA, the
claimant’s attorney must refund the lesser of the two fees to the claimant. Id. at 796.
Upon review of the material submitted to the court, the undersigned finds that plaintiff
counsel’s request for attorney fees is reasonable. Therefore, it is ordered that the plaintiff’s
attorney may collect a fee of $10,130.90 from past due benefits. Plaintiff’s attorney must
refund to the plaintiff the EAJA award of $5,347.01.
IT IS SO ORDERED.

Joseph F. Anderson, Jr.
United States District Judge

June 12, 2015
Columbia, South Carolina

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