)

RECEIVED
OCT I 7
BRI ~KLI ~

"

I;~'
t'ILtU IN I H~

&. GENDLER, J !JI

U.S.OISTR ICTCC(J RT

UNI TED STATE S DISTR ICT COORTEastern Distrie: of Wa~i1 in!;!cn

,

EASTE R.."I DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON

OCT 1 S jg97

JAMES R. LARSEN, CL~ RK
_
__ _ _
OEPUT'

•
5

DONALD W. MINI KIN ,

e

Pla intiff ,

r

NO .

ORDER DIRECTING ENTRY OF

v• .

•
s

CS-'36-4 07-JLQ

JUDGMENT, STAYI NG REQUEST FOR
PUNITIVE DAMAGES._ AND AWARD ING
REASO NABLE ATTORNEY FEE S

KAY WALTER and DAVID BUSS ,

Defenda nts .
On August 25,

1 9 97, the cour t

entered a Memor a ndum Opinion

tt

and Order Granti ng Plainci f:'s Mo t ion f or Summary

"

and

De ny i ng Defendants' Moeien for Summary J ud gme nt in t he aboveentit led matter (Ct . Rec. 55 ).
injunct ion a g a ins t

i

Jud~ent

The c ou r t entered a

pe ~an ent

the Defendants "from prohibiti ng d e l i v e ry of

s
an i nmate's paid-for subscription t o . a profit or nonprof it
pub l ication b a s e d on ly on the fact tha t

"
"
"

inma te by ' s tandard ma il' ".

i t i s ma iled t o the

The court directe d the parties to

".
directed Plain t iff to f i l e a Statement setting fort h the hour s
expended and the reas o nab le fee per hour to li t i g a t e this case .

"

The parties have not com plied wi t h t hat dire c tive .

~i ch a el

aa
Gendler represe nts P laint iff .

w.

Ass i stant At t o rne y Ge neral Colleen

B . Evans repres ents Defendants.

"

as
ORDER DIRECTI~G ENTRY OF JUDGME.'IT, STAY ING REQUES T FOR
PUNITIVE DAMAGES , AND AWARDING REASONABLE ATTO~~ Y F E ES

1

DAMAGES

:

Plaintiff seeks $30.00 in compensa tory damages re pre s e nting

3

the cos t of a 2 year subsc ription to Pr i son Lega l New s , whi c h h e

4

was de ni e d , nominal d amages in t he a mount o f $1 . 0 0 f or

5

v iolatio n of his r i g ht to pr o c edu r a l due proc e s s because he

e

receive d n o ma il rejec t i o n no ti c e , a nd puni t ive da mages in the

7

amo un t of $250 .00 for eac h issue of

e

thro~

s

Plainti f f does not state how many issue s of Prison Lega l Ne ws

10

were t hr-cwn away by prison officials .

11

t o the $3 1. 00 but do o b j e c t t o t he reque s t f o r punitive c a mages .

12

There=are , the

13

the su::! o f $ 3 1 . 00 i:1. compensatory and nominal d a mage s .

14

the cou =t further finds t hat Plainti f f ' s r e que s t

15

damag e s s ho u l d be s t ayed p end i ng the a p pe al p e nd i ng wit h the

1e

Nint h Circuit Court o f Appe a l s .

Legal Ne·....:::

t ~a':;.

·.:a s

a way by prison o fficials wit ho ut notice to t he Plaintif f.

cou~

42 U.S.C .

§

Defe:1.dants do not object

fi nds t ha t Plain tif f is entit led t o r ec ove r

REAS ONABt . :=:

17

"

Pr i. s-~n

t~e

AT'I' O~

acvevee ,

f o r punitive

FEES

-

1 988 pro vides in pe r t i nent p art t ha t t he c o urt ,

19

i n its d iscret i on , may allow the p revailing party in a

20

a c z Lcn a reasonable ar t o rneyve fee.

21

that Pl a ir:.tiff 's attor:ley r eas ona b l y spe nt 56 hours ee t hi s case .

22

However , Defendants do dispute that $187.5 0 per hou r is a

23

reasonable hour ly rate pu r s u a nt to the Prison Litiga tion Re form

24

Act , 42 U.S.C . !i 1997e (d J 01.

"

§

1983

Defendants do no t d i spu t e

42 U.S.C. 5 1 997e(d J O J au tho r izes a f e e awa r d to be made at
ORDER DI RECTI NG ENTRY OF JUDGMENT. ST AYING REQUEST FOR
PUNIT I VE DAMAGES, AND AWARD ING REASONABLE ATTORNEY FEES

,

..

1

ten days a ft e r t h e entry of judgment, serve on t he a t t o r n e y f or

2

the adverse party a nd file with t he Clerk of the Court a verified

3

bill of costs on a form whi c h will be f urnis hed by t he Cl e r k of

4

the Cour t upon request .

5

Defendants s t a t e that they have no objectio n to the

6

$1 ,332.70 origi na l ly claimed by the Plaintiff as

7

costs.

a

$194.60.

9

Court on the pr?per form in order to recover cos ts.

10

may file any objections wi t h the Clerk in accordance with th e

11

Local Ru le .

t

2

ou t-of~pccket

Plaintiff has n o w filed a reque st for a n additiona l
Plaintiff must submit the se cost s to the Cler k o f the

Defendan ts

I':' I S HERE BY ORDERED :

1.

The Clerk is d irected to enter a Judgment i n favor of

14

the Plaintiff against the Defe ndants a warding Plaintiff

15

damages and $4,339 .00 in re asonable attorney and paralegal fee s

16

for a total judgment of $4,370.00.
2.

Pl a i n t i f f ' s

rd q~ e s t

$3~ .aO

in

fo r pu nitive damage$ i s STAYED

18

pending th e a ppe a l filed by t he Defendants wi t h the Nin th Circuit

19

Court of Appeals.
I T IS SO ORD ERED .

The Cler k is d irected to e nter this Order

a nd fo rward copi e s to ~nsel.
DATE D

"as

this

""'--day of October, ~997.

/

JUSTIN

. QUA CKENEl.i", H

'SENIOR UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

'-.-/
ORDER DIRECTI NG ENTRY OF JUDG ME~, STAYING REQUEST FOR
PUNI TIVE Dk~AGES . AND AWARDING REASONABLE ATT O~VE Y FEES

.•.

~~der

1

a n hourly r aCe whi ch i s 250 percent of t he fees authori zed

2

1 6 U.S .C .

3

t ha t cou rt s hav e a ut horized payme nt t o cour t -appoint ed counse l in

4

c a p i t al criminal cases at a maximum rate of $125 :00 per hour .

S

However, t his is not a cap ital crimi nal c as e.

6

all owe d in t h e Eastern Dis t r ic t

7

court-app oi nte¢. attc rn e y s i s $ .. 5.00 f o r out-o E- c ou rt. t i me , aec

a

$65 .00 for in- cou r t

9

§

J 0 06A f or court-appointed counsel .

of

Plaintiff argues

Rather , the r ate

Washington under

§

J 006A for

t ime .

He re , c ounse l fo r the Plaintif f expended 56 hours of out-of-

10

co u r t

t i me .

11

at to rney fe e of $ 3 , 780 .0 0

12

of

13

1 9 97 e ( d l (3).

$ 4 s ~00

Therefore,

Pl aint i ff is enti tled t o a r e a s on a ble
( 5 6 hours t i me s $6 7 .50 an hour o r

an h o ur ), u n der 1 8

a .s. c.

§

15 0 "

30 0 6A a n d 42 U.S .C. §

PARAL EGAL FEES

14

is

Again, Defendants do no t

objec~

to the 6 .6 hours request ed

16

for p aral e gal fee s , but d o obj e c t t o th e $6 5.00 h o u r ly rate of

17

ca l cula t ion .

16

t he ma xi mu m amoun t a ll owab le for paralegal fees .

19

t ha t

20

ent i t led t o r ecover S 5 59. 0 0 i n para legal fee s

21

$ 65 . 0 0 a n hou r ) .

24

Prison Litigation,

Re: ~rm

$ 6 5 .0 0 a n hour i s n et; u n r eas o n a b le .

az
23

T~e

ACt dces not

spea~

Th e cour t

Theref o re,

to

f inds

P l a i n ti f f is

(8 . 6 h our s tim e s

COSTS
Ea stern Distri ct of Wa s h i n g t o n Loc a l Rule 54 . 1 provides in
p ertinen t p a r t

tha t the p arty in whos e f a vor a jud gme :l t

is

as
re n d e r e d, and wh o i s entitled t o claim his costs, sha ll within
ORDER DI RECT I NG ENTRY OF JUDGMENT , STAY ING REQUEST FOR
PUN I TI VE DA.'tAGES, AND AWARDI NG REASONAB LE ATTORNEY FEES