Sara L.S. v. Bisignano
- Dulce Foster
- 0:26-cv-00577
- U.S. District Court · District of Minnesota
- 2
In Sara L.S. v. Bisignano, Judge Foster granted Sara L.S.’s fee motion and awarded $8,569 to her attorneys under the Equal Access to Justice Act.
Sara L.S. and her attorneys, Stephanie A. Christel and Charles J. Lloyd, receive the awarded fees subject to any qualifying debt offset and the payment conditions described in the order; the government must make the payment.
What happened
In Sara L.S. v. Bisignano, Sara L.S. asked for $8,164 in attorney fees and $405 in costs under the Equal Access to Justice Act. The government did not oppose the request or its amount.
The court granted the motion and directed the government to pay a total of $8,569 to Sara L.S.’s attorneys. The order said the payment may be reduced if Sara L.S. owes a qualifying debt to the United States.
Judge Dulce J. Foster also said that, if no qualifying debt exists and the government waives certain payment restrictions, the fees will be payable to the attorneys; otherwise, payment may be made to Sara L.S. and delivered to her attorneys.
The detailed version
- Sara L.S. v. Bisignano · No. 0:26-cv-00577
- Dulce J. Foster
- Sept. 11, 2026
Background
Sara L.S. moved for attorney fees under the Equal Access to Justice Act, 28 U.S.C. § 2412(d)(1)(A). She requested $8,164.00 in fees and $405.00 in costs, for a total of $8,569.00, to be paid directly to her attorneys. The government did not oppose the motion or the amount requested.
Ruling
Judge Dulce J. Foster granted the motion based on the parties’ agreement and directed the government to pay $8,569.00 to Sara L.S.’s attorneys. The court explained that the fees may be subject to an offset—deduction—to satisfy a qualifying preexisting debt Sara L.S. may owe the United States under the Treasury Offset Program.
If the Commissioner determines that Sara L.S. owes no qualifying debt and agrees to waive the requirements of the Anti-Assignment Act, the fees will be made payable to her attorneys. If a qualifying debt exists, the payment may instead be made by check to Sara L.S. The order requires any payment check to be delivered to her attorneys’ law firm.
Effect of the Order
This was an attorney-fee ruling ancillary to the underlying Social Security case. The opinion does not decide the merits of Sara L.S.’s Social Security claim.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.