Riley v. Rothman’s Westside
- Ronnie Abrams
- 1:24-cv-03676
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 7
In Amanie Riley v. Rothman’s Westide, LLC, Judge Abrams partly granted and partly denied Riley’s fee motion, awarding $1,880.
Amanie Riley received $1,880 from the fee and cost application: $480 in costs and $1,400 in attorney’s fees. Rothman’s Westide, LLC was not awarded any amount and the action was closed.
What happened
Amanie Riley v. Rothman’s Westide, LLC concerned Riley’s request for attorney’s fees and costs after the court entered a default judgment against the defendant in her disability-discrimination case. Riley requested $4,580, and the defendant did not respond.
The court awarded the $405 filing fee and $75 process-server fee, but denied the $500 expert-report cost because Riley provided no report, invoice, or explanation showing that the cost was necessary. The court also reduced the requested attorney’s fees because counsel’s hourly rate was too high for this case, the filings contained errors, and the reported hours were excessive and poorly documented.
Judge Ronnie Abrams granted in part and denied in part the motion. She awarded Riley $480 in costs and $1,400 in attorney’s fees, for a total of $1,880, and directed the Clerk of Court to close the action.
The detailed version
- Riley v. Rothman’s Westside · No. 1:24-cv-03676
- Ronnie Abrams
- Sept. 4, 2025
Background
Amanie Riley sued Rothman’s Westide, LLC, alleging violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the New York City Human Rights Law, and the New York State Human Rights Law. In November 2024, the court entered a default judgment and directed Riley to submit any request for attorney’s fees and costs with supporting documentation. Riley then moved for $4,580 in fees and costs. Rothman’s did not respond.
Costs and Expenses
Riley requested $980 in costs: a $405 filing fee, a $75 process-server fee, and a $500 expert-report fee. The court found the filing and process-server fees adequately supported by counsel’s sworn affidavit and the court docket. It awarded those costs, totaling $480.
The court denied the $500 expert-report fee. Riley submitted no expert report, invoice, or explanation showing why an expert report was needed. The court also noted that the defendant had not appeared in the action.
Attorney’s Fees
Riley’s counsel requested $3,600 for eight hours of work at an hourly rate of $450. The court found the $450 rate generally within the reasonable range for this type of work but reduced it to $350 because the filings appeared to be boilerplate and the fee-motion notice contained information apparently relating to another case.
The court also found the eight reported hours excessive for a routine, non-complex disability-accessibility case that ended in default judgment. Counsel had not provided documentation supporting most of the billed work, including time spent allegedly reviewing an expert report that was never submitted. The court therefore reduced the reported hours by 50 percent, from eight hours to four hours.
Applying a $350 hourly rate to four hours, the court awarded $1,400 in attorney’s fees.
Disposition
Judge Ronnie Abrams granted in part and denied in part Riley’s motion for attorney’s fees and costs. The court awarded $480 in costs and $1,400 in attorney’s fees, totaling $1,880. The Clerk of Court was directed to terminate the pending motion and close the action.
Read the full 7-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.