Williams v. Commissioner of the Social Security Administration

Filing 33

ORDER granting 29 Motion for Attorney Fees: It is ORDERED that Plaintiff, Robert Thomas Williams, is awarded attorney fees under the EAJA in the amount of Four Thousand Dollars ($4,000.00) in attorney fees and Zero Dollars in expenses. Signed by Honorable Bruce Howe Hendricks on 5/2/2016.(gnan )

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
DISTRICT OF SOUTH CAROLINA
FLORENCE DIVISION
Robert Thomas Williams,

) Civil Action No. 4:14-4170-BHH
)
Plaintiff, )
)
v.
)
)
ORDER
CAROLYN M. COLVIN,
)
Acting Commissioner of Social Security,
)
)
Defendant. )
___________________________________ )
Upon consideration of the Joint Stipulation for Attorney’s Fees pursuant to the Equal

Access to Justice Act (EAJA) 28 U.S.C. §2412(d), it is hereby,
ORDERED that Plaintiff, Robert Thomas Williams, is awarded attorney fees under the
EAJA in the amount of Four Thousand Dollars ($4,000.00) in attorney fees and Zero Dollars in
expenses. The attorney fees will be paid directly to Plaintiff, Robert Thomas Williams, and sent
to the business address of Plaintiff’s counsel. Full or partial remittance of the awarded attorney
fees will be contingent upon a determination by the Government that Plaintiff owes no
qualifying, pre-existing debt(s) to the Government. If such a debt(s) exists, the Government will
reduce the awarded attorney fees in this Order to the extent necessary to satisfy such debt(s).1
IT IS SO ORDERED.

/s/Bruce Howe Hendricks
United States District Judge
May 2, 2016
Greenville, South Carolina

1

In Astrue v. Ratliff, 560 U.S. 586, 598 (2010), the United States Supreme Court held that the EAJA requires
attorneys’ fees to be awarded directly to the litigant. Id. (holding that the plain text of the EAJA requires that
attorneys’ fees be awarded to the litigant, thus subjecting EAJA fees to offset of any pre-existing federal debts); see
also Stephens v. Astrue, 565 F.3d 131, 139 (4th Cir. 2009) (same).