(SS) Keeler v. Commissioner of Social Security ( 2019 )

1 MCGREGOR W. SCOTT United States Attorney 2 DEBORAH LEE STACHEL, CSBN 230138 Regional Chief Counsel, Region IX 3 Social Security Administration FRANCESCO BENAVIDES, CABN 258924 4 Special Assistant United States Attorney Assistant Regional Counsel 5 Social Security Administration, Region IX 6 160 Spear Street, Suite 800 San Francisco, California 94105 7 Tel: (415) 977-8978 Attorneys for Defendant 8 Lindsay F. Osterhout, Esq. 9 Osterhout Disability Law, LLC 10 521 Cedar Way, Suite 200 Oakmont, PA 15139 11 , Mark Allan Keeler 12 David Allen, Esq. 13 CA Bar ID No.: 87193 David Allen & Associates 14 5230 Folsom Boulevard Sacramento, CA 95819 15 Attorney for Plaintiff, Mark Allan Keeler 16 17 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 18 FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 19 20 MARK ALLAN KEELER, Case No. 1:18-cv-00283-GSA 21 Plaintiff, STIPULATION AND ORDER FOR THE AWARD OF ATTORNEY FEES UNDER THE 22 v. EQUAL ACCESS TO JUSTICE ACT (EAJA) 23 28 U.S.C. § 2412(d) ANDREW SAUL, 24 Commissioner of Social Security, 25 Defendant. 26 27 /// 1 TO THE HONORABLE GARY S. AUSTIN, MAGISTRATE JUDGE OF THE UNITED 2 STATES DISTRICT COURT: 3 The Parties through their undersigned counsel, subject to the Court’s approval, stipulate that 4 Plaintiff be awarded attorney fees in the amount of SEVEN THOUSAND SIX HUNDRED 5 DOLLARS and 00/100 ($7,600.00) under the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA), 28 U.S.C. 6 § 2412(d). This amount represents compensation for all legal services rendered on behalf of Plaintiff 7 by counsel in connection with this civil action, in accordance with 28 U.S.C. § 2412(d). 8 After the Court issues an order for EAJA fees to Plaintiff, the government will consider the 9 matter of Plaintiff’s assignment of EAJA fees to counsel. Pursuant to Astrue v. Ratliff, 560 U.S. 586, 10 598, 130 S.Ct. 2521, 177 L.Ed.2d 91 (2010), the ability to honor the assignment will depend on 11 whether the fees are subject to any offset allowed under the United States Department of the 12 Treasury’s Offset Program. After the order for EAJA fees is entered, the government will determine 13 whether they are subject to any offset. 14 15 Fees shall be made payable to Plaintiff, but if the Department of the Treasury determines that 16 Plaintiff does not owe a federal debt, then the government shall cause the payment of fees, expenses 17 and costs to be made directly to counsel, pursuant to the assignment executed by Plaintiff. Any 18 payments made shall be delivered to Plaintiff’s counsel, Lindsay F. Osterhout. 19 This stipulation constitutes a compromise settlement of Plaintiff’s request for EAJA fees, and 20 does not constitute an admission of liability on the part of Defendant under the EAJA. Payment of 21 SEVEN THOUSAND SIX HUNDRED DOLLARS and 00/100 ($7,600.00) in EAJA attorney fees 22 shall constitute a complete release from, and bar to, any and all claims that Plaintiff and Plaintiff’s 23 attorney, Lindsay F. Osterhout, may have relating to EAJA attorney fees in connection with this 24 action. 25 This award is without prejudice to the rights of Plaintiff’s attorney to seek Social Security Act 26 attorney fees under 42 U.S.C. § 406(b), subject to the savings clause provisions of the EAJA. 27 /// 1 Respectfully submitted, 2 3 Dated: 12/18/2019 /s/ Lindsay F. Osterhout L INDSAY F. OSTERHOUT 4 Attorney for Plaintiff 5 /s/ David Allen 6 DAVID ALLEN Attorney for Plaintiff 7 8 Dated: 12/18/2019 MCGREGOR W. SCOTT United States Attorney 9 DEBORAH LEE STACHEL Regional Chief Counsel, Region IX 10 Social Security Administration 11 By: /s/ Francesco Benavides* 12 FRANCESCO BENAVIDES Special Assistant U.S. Attorney 13 Attorneys for Defendant (*Permission to use electronic signature 14 obtained via email on 12/18/2019). 15 16 17 IT IS SO ORDERED. 18 Dated: December 30, 2019 /s/ Gary S. Austin 19 UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27