Allen v. District of Columbia

263 F. Supp. 3d 14
CourtDistrict Court, District of Columbia
DecidedJune 16, 2017
DocketCase No: 00-cv-591-RCL
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 263 F. Supp. 3d 14 (Allen v. District of Columbia) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, District of Columbia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Allen v. District of Columbia, 263 F. Supp. 3d 14 (D.D.C. 2017).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

Royce C. Lamberth, United States District Judge

I. INTRODUCTION

This opinion concerns eleven consolidated cases1 brought many years ago against the District of Columbia for violations of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 20 U.S.C. § 1400, et seq. (“IDEA”). As prevailing parties, plaintiffs filed motions seeking enforcement of court orders awarding them attorneys’ fees pursuant to 20 U.S.C. § 1415(i)(3)(B)(l). On August 17, 2015, this Court found that the “District must pay plaintiffs $4,000 — less any amount already paid — plus interest, for each action , in the consolidated cases, excepting Gaskins, No. 00-592.” Aug. 18, 2015 Order at 1, ECF No. 71. It referred the matter to Magistrate Judge Harvey for a Report and Recommendation on the total amount owed by the District in each action. Id. at 2.

For the reasons stated below, the Court will accept and adopt in part, modify in part, and reject in part Judge Harvey’s Report and Recommendation. It finds that the District owes no additional fees or costs in Abraham v. DC, No. 01-cv-27, AC (Clark) v. DC, No. 06-cv-439, Allen v. DC, No. 00-cv-591, Isaac v. DC, No. 00-cv-122, Jones v. DC, No. 00-cv-593, McDowell v. DC, No. 00-cv-594, Thomas v. DC, [17]*17No. 03-cv-1791, and Wingfield v. DC, No. 00-cv-121. However, the District still owes $199,913 in fees and $779 in costs in Adams v. DC, No. 03-cv-2139, and an additional $20,000 in fees in Bradley v. DC, No. 99-cv-3188. The District additionally owes interest in every case. .

II. BACKGROUND

A. Factual and Procedural History

The plaintiffs in the consolidated cases at issue (three of which are multi-plaintiff cases — Abraham, AC (Clark), and Adams) brought claims against the District of Columbia pursuant to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 20 U.S.C. § 1400, et seq. The IDEA provides that courts may award attorneys’ fees and cost to prevailing parties. See 20 U.S.C. § 1415(i)(3)(B)(I). In 1999, Congress capped the fees payable by the District in such cases. See Omnibus Consolidated and Emergency Supplemental . Appropriation Act of 1999, Pub. L. No. 105-277, § 130, 112 Stat. 2681 (1998). In 2003, Congress set a flat cap of $4,000 on attorneys’ fees for IDEA actions. See Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2003, Pub. L. No. 108-7, § 144, 117 Stat. 11 (2003). In 2009, Congress passed the final rider relating to IDEA attorneys’ fees, stating:

(1) to pay the fees of an attorney who represents a party in or defends an IDEA proceeding which was initiated prior to the date of the enactment of this Act in an amount in excess of $4,000 for that proceeding.

Omnibus Appropriations Act, Pub. L. No. 111-8, § 814, 123 Stat. 524 (2009). The 2009 rider did not provide a fee cap for future cases.

From 2001 through 2009, judgments (some of which were consent) were entered against the District for attorneys’ fees and costs in each of the consolidated cases. Those judgments ranged from $40,635.50 (Allen) to $2,500,000.00 (Abraham). After plaintiffs brought motions to enforce the outstanding judgments and collect their fees, this Court found that, according to the law summarized above, “the District is prohibited at this time from paying more than $4,000 per action in this case for cases initiated prior to March 11, 2009, which includes all of the consolidated cases.” See Aug) 18, 2015 Mem. Op. at 9, ECF No. 70. Plaintiffs were therefore “entitled by statute to collect $4,000 per action in each case prior to 2009, less what has already been paid.” Id. at 10. “[T]he term ‘action’ in the fee cap provisions ‘encompasses both administrative proceedings and subsequent fee requests brought in the court by prevailing parties,’ ” so “the District is not required to pay up to the fee cap a second time where administrative actions are subsequently brought to federal court.” Id. at 11. In every case except Bradley and Wingfield, some payment had been made either pre- or post-judgment, or both. Thus, plaintiffs were entitled to $4,000 per action — as evidenced by Hearing Officer Decisions (HODs) — minus whateyer had been paid.

This Court also found that “[p]ost-judgment interest is appropriate when a district court enters a judgment awarding reasonable attorneys’ fees under IDEA,” and that “[plaintiffs are entitled to post-judgment interest calculated at the statutory rate on each award under 28 U.S.C. § 1961(a).” Id. at 14-15. Section 1961 dictates that “interest shall be calculated [18]*18from the date of the entry of the judgment, at a rate equal to the weekly average 1-year constant maturity Treasury yield, as published by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, for the calendar week preceding [ ] the date of the judgment” and that “[ijnterest shall be computed daily to the date of payment ... and shall.be compounded annually.”, 28 U.S.C. § 1961(a) — (b). Interest is compounded on’ the date of the judgment. See, e.g., Jefferson v. Milvets Sys. Tech., Inc., 986 F.Supp. 6, 11-12 (D.D.C. 1997). The Court thus ordered that “[t]he District must pay plaintiffs $4,000 — less any amount already paid — plus interest,, for each action in each of the consolidated cases.” Aug. 18,201$ Order at 1.

After finding that the. parties failed to provide the necessary information to determine, the exact amount owed to plaintiffs in each case, the Court referred this matter to Magistrate Judge Harvey for a report and recommendation on the total amount owed on each claim and the amount of interest due from the date of judgment until October 1, 2016. Id. at 15. Because of the interplay amongst Judge Harvey’s Report and Recommendation and each party’s objections thereto, the Court will summarize Judge Harvey’s final calculations and then will turn to the specific issues that are now before this Court: 1) Judge Harvey’s treatment of evidence/reliance on the District’s payment documentation and plaintiffs’ objections thereto; 2) whether and how much to credit payments made in the Adams case; 3) whether plaintiffs have waived objections regarding the number of HODs in the Bradley case; and. 4) the interest due in each case.2

B. Judge Harvey’s Calculations

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Allen v. Dc
District of Columbia, 2020
Keith Allen v. DC
969 F.3d 397 (D.C. Circuit, 2020)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
263 F. Supp. 3d 14, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/allen-v-district-of-columbia-dcd-2017.