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Case TitleLouise Trauma Center LLC v. United States Citizenship and Immigration Services
DistrictDistrict of Maryland
CityBaltimore
Case Number1:2023cv01561
Date Filed2023-06-09
Date Closed2024-08-28
JudgeJudge Richard D. Bennett
PlaintiffLouise Trauma Center LLC
Case DescriptionLouise Trauma Center submitted a FOIA request to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for records concerning distance training given to newly-hired asylum officers from January 2020 to the present. Louise Trauma Center also requested a fee waiver. The agency acknowledged receipt of the request but after hearing nothing further from the agency, Louise Trauma Center filed suit.
Complaint issues: Failure to respond within statutory time limit, Litigation - Attorney's fees

DefendantUnited States Citizenship and Immigration Services
Documents
Docket
Complaint
Opinion/Order [21]
FOIA Project Annotation: In another one of a slew of attorney's fees cases brought by Louse Trauma Center, a federal court in Maryland has ruled that while David Cleveland, the attorney who represented LTC, was eligible for attorney's fees, the court reduced the fee request by 50 percent to reflect a reduction in the hourly rate charged by Cleveland and the excess of hours charged, after rejecting U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' argument that because Judge Dabney Friedrich of the District Court for the District of Columbia had recently shown skepticism of LTC's eligibility for attorney's fees in a case before her, Judge Richard Bennett of the District Court in Maryland should rule the same way. In the case before Bennett, LTC had asked for $43,000 in fees for its litigation regarding several FOIA requests it had submitted to USCIS. LTC later raised the amount to $54,560,adding its claim for litigating the attorney's fees issue. Bennett found that the four-factor test was more or less even but decided LTC qualified for attorney's fees. Cleveland had asked for an hourly rate of $620. Because he had more than 30 years of experience as an attorney, he had qualified for such a rate in earlier cases. However, Bennett found the rate too high and lowered it to $475 an hour, based on the local rules. Bennett also lowered LTC's request for 88 hours of work as unsupported and lowered it to half that amount. He noted that "in general, the Center's billing records fail to provide adequately specific descriptions as to the tasks performed, inhibiting the Court's determination of reasonableness."
Issues: Litigation - Attorney's fees - Eligibility
User-contributed Documents
 
Docket Events (Hide)
Date FiledDoc #Docket Text

2023-06-091COMPLAINT against United States Citizenship and Immigration Services ( Filing fee $ 402 receipt number AMDDC-10646573.), filed by Louise Trauma Center LLC.(Cleveland, David) (Entered: 06/09/2023)
2023-06-092NOTICE by Louise Trauma Center LLC re 1 Complaint (Attachments: # 1 Summons, # 2 Summons, # 3 Summons)(Cleveland, David) (Entered: 06/09/2023)
2023-06-093Local Rule 103.3 Disclosure Statement by Louise Trauma Center LLC (Cleveland, David) (Entered: 06/09/2023)
2023-06-094Consent to Magistrate Judge (Cleveland, David) (Entered: 06/09/2023)
2023-06-095Summons Issued 60 days as to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, U.S. Attorney and U.S. Attorney General(mg3s, Deputy Clerk) (Entered: 06/09/2023)
2023-06-146SUMMONS Returned Executed by Louise Trauma Center LLC. United States Citizenship and Immigration Services served on 6/13/2023, answer due 8/14/2023. (Attachments: # 1 Exhibit)(Cleveland, David) (Entered: 06/14/2023)
2023-06-147SUMMONS Returned Executed by Louise Trauma Center LLC. (Attachments: # 1 Exhibit)(Cleveland, David) (Entered: 06/14/2023)
2023-06-148SUMMONS Returned Executed by Louise Trauma Center LLC. (Attachments: # 1 Exhibit)(Cleveland, David) (Entered: 06/14/2023)
2023-07-139ANSWER to 1 Complaint by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.(Thomas, Beatrice) (Entered: 07/13/2023)
2023-07-1410SCHEDULING ORDER: Status Report due by 11/27/2023. Signed by Judge Richard D. Bennett on 7/14/2023. (Attachments: # 1 Informal Discovery Letter)(mg3s, Deputy Clerk) (Entered: 07/14/2023)
2023-07-2811Status Report Submitted and Request for Hearing by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (Thomas, Beatrice) (Entered: 07/28/2023)
2023-07-2812STATUS REPORT by Louise Trauma Center LLC(Cleveland, David) (Entered: 07/28/2023)
2023-08-01Telephone Conference held on 8/1/2023 before Judge Richard D. Bennett. (jh2s, Deputy Clerk) (Entered: 08/01/2023)
2023-08-0113LETTER ORDER to counsel regarding scheduling. Signed by Judge Richard D. Bennett on 8/1/2023. (mg3s, Deputy Clerk) (Entered: 08/01/2023)
2023-11-2714STATUS REPORT [JOINT] by Louise Trauma Center LLC(Cleveland, David) (Entered: 11/27/2023)
2023-12-2315Joint MOTION To reset deadlines by Louise Trauma Center LLC(Cleveland, David) (Entered: 12/23/2023)
2023-12-2816ORDER granting 15 Joint MOTION To reset deadlines. Signed by Judge Richard D. Bennett on 12/28/2023. (mg3s, Deputy Clerk) (Entered: 12/28/2023)
2024-01-1917MOTION for Attorney Fees by Louise Trauma Center LLC (Attachments: # 1 Exhibit, # 2 Exhibit, # 3 Exhibit, # 4 Exhibit, # 5 Exhibit, # 6 Exhibit, # 7 Exhibit, # 8 Exhibit, # 9 Exhibit, # 10 Exhibit)(Cleveland, David) (Entered: 01/19/2024)
2024-02-0518RESPONSE in Opposition re 17 MOTION for Attorney Fees filed by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. (Attachments: # 1 Memorandum in Support, # 2 Exhibit 1, # 3 Exhibit 2, # 4 Exhibit 3, # 5 Exhibit 4, # 6 Exhibit 5, # 7 Exhibit 6, # 8 Exhibit 7, # 9 Exhibit 8, # 10 Exhibit 9)(Thomas, Beatrice) (Entered: 02/05/2024)
2024-02-1119REPLY to Response to Motion re 17 MOTION for Attorney Fees filed by Louise Trauma Center LLC. (Attachments: # 1 Exhibit, # 2 Exhibit)(Cleveland, David) (Entered: 02/11/2024)
2024-08-2120Correspondence re: Update to the Court (Attachments: # 1 Exhibit)(Thomas, Beatrice) (Entered: 08/21/2024)
2024-08-2821MEMORANDUM OPINION. Signed by Judge Richard D. Bennett on 8/28/2024. (hmls, Deputy Clerk) (Entered: 08/28/2024)
2024-08-2822ORDER GRANTING IN PART and DENYING IN PART 17 MOTION for Attorney Fees; Entering JUDGMENT in favor of Plaintiff and against the Defendant in the amount of $21,492; DIRECTING the Clerk of Court to CLOSE this case. Signed by Judge Richard D. Bennett on 8/28/2024. (hmls, Deputy Clerk) (Entered: 08/28/2024)
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by FOIA Project Staff
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