EAJA Awards
| Agency | Agency subcomponent | Name | Award date | Award amount | Awardees | Claims description | Finding basis | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Department of Defense | U.S. Army | Lucas Calixto, et al. v. Department of the Army, et al. |
$ 550,000
|
Wanjing Li, Jingquan Qu, Xiongzhou Zhang, Xi Zhang, Chenhao Qian, Sansiri Suangchomphan, Lei Liu, Wen Si, Yunzheng He, Wendapagnagde Yabre, Sen Li, Fang Lu, Anton Tate, Yue Yin, Sai Krishna Uppugandla, Zehua Bian, Hyunsung Kim, Chengping Yuan, Gunay Miriyeva, Sandeep Mahat, and Shengfan Yang | Settlement. A case affecting soldiers who enlisted in the U.S. Army (including Selected Reserve of the Ready Reserve/Delayed Training Program (“DTP”) and Regular Army/Delayed Entry Program (“DEP”) Soldiers) through the Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest (“MAVNI”) program. | These fees were settled through negotiation. Fees were deemed appropriate because the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit overturned our initial victory at the Court of Federal Claims and plaintiff received relief as a result of a subsequent evaluation. | Show | |
| U.S. Department of Homeland Security | U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement | REDACTED v. Garland |
$ 540,210
|
REDACTED | Motion to enforce settlement agreement, where the District Court found that ICE was in non-compliance with the court's prior COVID-19 orders and the settlement agreement. | Null | Show | |
| U.S. Department of Justice | The defendants in this suit were the U.S. Department of Justice... | Andew G. McCabe v. Merrick B. Garland, in his official capacity as Attorney General of the United States, et al. |
$ 539,348
|
Andrew G. McCabe | The complaint generally alleges that former FBI Deputy Director Andrew G. McCabe was improperly demoted and terminated and asserts claims under the First and Fifth Amendments to the United States Constitution and 28 U.S.C. § 1361. | Settlement agreement | Show | |
| U.S. Department of the Interior | Bureau of Land Management | Rocky Mountain Helium v. United States |
$ 519,000
|
Bryant Banes of Neel, Hopper, and Banes. | Plaintiff originally claimed damages between $5 and $9 million. Prior to the damages phase of the trial, the parties entered mediation and settled the case. | The Court found that the BLM breached a 2008 settlement agreement with Rocky Mountain Helium. | Show | |
| U.S. Department of Homeland Security | U.S. Customs and Border Protection | Askins et al. v. DHS et al. |
$ 512,500
|
REDACTED | First Amendment Violations (facial and as applied) relating to requirement for prior authorization to record at land ports | Settlement | Show | |
| U.S. Department of Homeland Security | U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) | R.F.M, et al v. Nielsen, et al |
$ 503,995
|
REDACTED | Class action challenge to adoption of new SIJ Policy resulting in denial of plaintiff's SIJ applications. | Court ruled that USCIS adopted a new policy without notice, and that prior to this policy change, the plaintiffs’ SIJ applications would have been granted. Court awrded EAJA fees that were split between two payees. | Show | |
| U.S. Department of Homeland Security | USCIS | W.A.O. v. Jaddou, et al. |
$ 503,837
|
REDACTED | This case challenged the USCIS policy regarding competent jurisdiction for qualifying reunification determinations as applied to SIJ orders issued under the New Jersey Family Part. The plaintiffs claimed that USCIS had a policy of disqualifying 18-21-year-old applicants from SIJ status. | Settlement-stipulation of the parties | Show | |
| U.S. Department of Homeland Security | U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement | REDACTED v. Asher |
$ 500,000
|
REDACTED | COVID-19 class action petition for writ of habeas corpus under 28 U.S.C. § 2241 challenging conditions of confinement. | Null | Show | |
| U.S. Department of Homeland Security | USCIS | Kirwa, et al., v. DOD |
$ 500,000
|
REDACTED | Challenge to delays in processing N-400 applications under the MAVNI program | Settlement-stipulation of the parties | Show | |
| U.S. Department of Homeland Security | USCIS | Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, et al v. USCIS, et al |
$ 500,000
|
REDACTED | Class action challenging the delays of EAD applications based on initial asylum applications that have been pending longer than the 30 day regulatory period. | Settlement was reached. | Show | |
| Social Security Administration | Null | Ely v. Saul |
$ 420,179
|
Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc. & Nossaman LLP | Class action brought by survivors of same-sex couples who were prevented from marrying by unconstitutional State laws. The case challenged the application of the 9-month duration of marriage requirement for purposes of determining entitlement to wife's or husband's benefits under Title II of the Social Security Act to these individuals. | Settlement Agreement | Show | |
| Other Agency | Environmental Protection Agency/Office of Water | SAN FRANCISCO BAYKEEPER, et al. v. EPA, et al. |
$ 416,913
|
Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, LLP | Plaintiffs challenged EPA’s special-case Clean Water Act jurisdictional determination dated March 1, 2019, for the Redwood City Salt Plant site as arbitrary, capricious, or contrary to law under the Administrative Procedure Act. | Plaintiffs brought a single claim for relief, challenging EPA’s negative jurisdictional determination under the Clean Water Act for the Redwood City salt ponds and asking this Court to vacate and set aside that decision. The district Court granted Plaintiffs’ motion for summary judgment on that claim and denied EPA and intervenors’ motion. In ruling for Plaintiffs, this Court held that EPA had erroneously applied the law and vacated and remanded the jurisdictional determination. | Show | |
| Social Security Administration | Null | Thornton v. Saul |
$ 415,535
|
Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc. | Class action brought by survivors of same-sex couples who were prevented from marrying by unconstitutional State laws. The case challenged the application of the marriage requirement for purposes of determining entitlement to wife's or husband's benefits under Title II of the Social Security Act to these individuals. | Settlement Agreement | Show | |
| United States Department of Agriculture | Forest Service | Rocky Mountain Wild; San Louis Valley Ecosystem Council; San Juan Citizens Alliance; Wilderness Workshop |
$ 412,500
|
Matthew Sandler and Travis E. Stills | 1) Claims the EIS and NEPA process are based on an unlawfully narrow design of Federal Action with an unreasonably narrow Purpose and Need statement, 2) The range of alternatives considered is unlawfully narrow, 3) The denial of Leavell-McCombs Joint Venture expanded access request was inappropriately excluded from the alternatives, 4) Forest Service failed to involve cooperating agencies, 5) The FEIS fails to identify and analyze the effectiveness of available mitigation measures, 6) Consideration of connected actions is inadequate, 7) The FEIS failed to provide the public and decisionmaker with a hard look at direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts of the action, 8) There was undue influence and proponent control of NEPA process, and 9) There was a failure to conduct unbiased review of objections. | On May 19, 2017, the District Court of Colorado ruled that the Forest Service violated NEPA and set aside the Record of Decision authorizing the Land Exchange Order. | Show | |
| U.S. Department of Energy | Null | Backcountry Against Dumps v. Perry |
$ 400,000
|
Backcountry Against Dumps, Donna Tisdale | Plaintiffs challenged DOE's issuance of a Presidential permit to Energia Sierra Juarez to contruct and operate a transmission line in San Diego County, CA, that would bring wind power from Mexico into the United States. Plaintiffs alleged that DOE's issuance of the permit was carried out in violation of the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and the Bald Eagle and Golden Eagle Protection Act. | Null | Show |