Sottoriva v. Claps

Dist. Ct. erred in reducing attorney fee request by 67 percent to reflect plaintiff’s limited success in claim alleging that defendant-state employer denied him due process by unilaterally reducing his base pay to repay defendant for money that defendant overpaid plaintiff while plaintiff was serving in military. While some sort of downward adjustment was warranted because Dist. Ct. rejected plaintiff’s claim that defendant could not withhold up to $17,982.47 (out of $23,988 overpayment), Dist. Ct. failed to explain how it determined that 67 percent reduction was appropriate.