(SS) Garcia v. Commissioner of Social Security ( 2022 )

1 Jonathan O. Peña, Esq. 2 CA Bar ID No.: 278044 Peña & Bromberg, PLC 3 2440 Tulare St., Ste. 320 4 Fresno, CA 93721 Telephone: 559-439-9700 5 Facsimile: 559-439-9723 6 Email: info@jonathanpena.com Attorney for Plaintiff, Martha Catalina Garcia 7 8 9 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 10 FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA FRESNO DIVISION 11 12 Martha Catalina Garcia, Case No. 1:20-cv-01642-SKO 13 Plaintiff, STIPULATION FOR THE AWARD 14 AND PAYMENT OF ATTORNEY v. FEES AND EXPENSES PURSUANT 15 TO THE EQUAL ACCESS TO 16 Kilolo Kijakazi, Acting JUSTICE ACT; ORDER Commissioner of Social Security, 17 (Docs. 25, 27) 18 Defendant. 19 IT IS HEREBY STIPULATED by and between the parties through their 20 undersigned counsel, subject to the approval of the Court, that Plaintiff be awarded 21 attorney fees and expenses in the amount of ELEVEN THOUSAND FIVE-HUNDRED 22 DOLLARS and 00/100 ($11,500.00) under the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA), 28 23 U.S.C. § 2412(d), and cost in the amount of zero dollars ($0.00) under 28 U.S.C. §1920. 24 This amount represents compensation for all legal services rendered on behalf of 25 Plaintiff by counsel in connection with this civil action, in accordance with 28 U.S.C. § 26 2412(d). Counsel for Plaintiff therefore withdraws his Motion for Attorney Fees filed 27 on February 7, 2022. (Dkt. No. 25). 1 After the Court issues an order for EAJA fees to Plaintiff, the government will 2 consider the matter of Plaintiff’s assignment of EAJA fees to counsel. Pursuant to 3 Astrue v. Ratliff, 560 U.S. 586, 598, 130 S.Ct. 2521, 177 L.Ed.2d 91 (2010), the ability 4 to honor the assignment will depend on whether the fees are subject to any offset 5 allowed under the United States Department of the Treasury’s Offset Program. After 6 the order for EAJA fees is entered, the government will determine whether they are 7 subject to any offset. 8 Fees shall be made payable to Plaintiff, but if the Department of the Treasury 9 determines that Plaintiff does not owe a federal debt, then the government shall cause 10 the payment of fees, expenses and costs to be made directly to Counsel, pursuant to 11 the assignment executed by Plaintiff. Any payments made shall be delivered to 12 Plaintiff’s counsel, Jonathan O. Peña. 13 This stipulation constitutes a compromise settlement of Plaintiff’s request for 14 EAJA attorney fees, and does not constitute an admission of liability on the part of 15 Defendant under the EAJA or otherwise. Payment of the agreed amount shall 16 constitute a complete release from, and bar to, any and all claims that Plaintiff and/or 17 Counsel including Counsel’s firm may have relating to EAJA attorney fees in 18 connection with this action. 19 This award is without prejudice to the rights of Counsel and/or Counsel’s firm 20 to seek Social Security Act attorney fees under 42 U.S.C. § 406(b), subject to the 21 savings clause provisions of the EAJA. 22 Respectfully submitted, 23 24 Dated: February 17, 2022 /s/ Jonathan O. Peña 25 J ONATHAN O. PEÑA 26 Attorney for Plaintiff 27 Dated: February 17, 2022 PHILLIP A. TALBERT 1 United States Attorney PETER K. THOMPSON 2 Acting Regional Chief Counsel, Region IX Social Security Administration 3 4 By: _*_Margaret Lehrkind Margaret Lehrkind 5 Special Assistant U.S. Attorney 6 Attorneys for Defendant (*Permission to use electronic signature 7 obtained via email on February 17, 2022). 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 1 ORDER 2 Based upon the parties’ Stipulation for the Award and Payment of Attorney Fees 3 and Expenses Pursuant to the Equal Access to Justice Act (the “Stipulation”) (Doc. 27), 4 IT IS HEREBY ORDERED as follows: 5 1. Fees and expenses in the amount of ELEVEN THOUSAND FIVE- 6 HUNDRED DOLLARS and 00/100 ($11,500.00) as authorized by the Equal 7 Access to Justice Act (EAJA), 28 U.S.C. § 2412(d), be awarded subject to 8 the terms of the Stipulation; and 9 2. Plaintiff’s motion for attorneys fees pursuant to the Equal Access to Justice 10 Act (Doc. 25) is WITHDRAWN. 11 12 IT IS SO ORDERED. 13 Dated: February 17, 2022 /s/ Sheila K. Oberto . 14 UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27