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7 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
8 SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
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10 JUANITA R., Case No.: 21cv1296-MDD
11 Plaintiff,
ORDER GRANTING JOINT
12 v. MOTION FOR ATTORNEY FEES
AND EXPENSES PURSUANT TO
13 KILOLO KIJAKAZI, Acting
THE EQUAL ACCESS TO
Commissioner of Social Security,
14 JUSTICE ACT (28 U.S.C. § 2412(d))
Defendant.
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[ECF No. 17]
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18 On July 20, 2021, Plaintiff Juanita R. filed this social security appeal
19 challenging the denial of her application for disability insurance benefits.
20 (ECF No. 1). On November 30, 2022, the Court granted the parties’ joint
21 motion for judicial review in favor of Plaintiff and remanded this matter to
22 the Administrative Law Judge (“ALJ”) pursuant to sentence four of 42 U.S.C.
23 § 405(g). (ECF No. 15). The parties now stipulate to an award to Plaintiff of
24 attorneys’ fees and expenses in the amount of $7,500.00 under the Equal
25 Access to Justice Act (“EAJA”), 28 U.S.C. § 2412(d), and no costs under 28
26 U.S.C. § 1920. (ECF No. 17 at 1).
1 || United States within thirty days of final judgment. 28 U.S.C. § 2412(d). “A
9 ||sentence four remand becomes final judgment, for purposes of attorneys’ fees
3 ||claims brought pursuant to the EAJA, 28 U.S.C. § 2412(d), upon expiration of
4 ||the time for appeal.” Akopyan v. Barnhart, 296 F.3d 852, 854 (9th Cir. 2002).
5 || If one of the parties is the United States, either party may file a notice of
6 ||appeal within sixty days of the order appealed from. See Fed. R. App.
7 ||4(a)(1)(B). “A plaintiff who obtains a sentence four remand is considered a
8 || prevailing party for purposes of attorneys’ fees.” Akopyan, 296 F.3d at 854.
9 || Therefore, Plaintiff is the prevailing party in this action for purposes of
10 ||attorney’s fees, the parties’ joint motion is timely, and the Court finds the
11 ||stipulated amount of fees and expenses reasonable.
12 Accordingly, the Court GRANTS the joint motion and AWARDS
13 || Plaintiff attorney’s fees and expenses in the total amount of $7,500.00. Fees
14 || will be made payable to Juanita R., but if the Department of Treasury
15 ||determines that Juanita R. owes a qualifying debt under the Treasury Offset
16 || Program, 31 U.S.C. § 3716, the check shall be made payable to Plaintiff, and
17 ||delivered to her attorney, Martha Yancey. If the Department of Treasury
18 ||determines that Plaintiff owes no such debt subject to offset, then the
19 attorney’s fees shall be made payable directly to her attorney pursuant to an
90 ||assignment that Plaintiff executes.
21 IT IS SO ORDERED.
Dated: February 1, 2023 Mitel » [>
Hon. Mitchell D. Dembin
24 United States Magistrate Judge
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