The Equal Access to Justice Act, 5 U.S.C. 504 (called “the Act” in this part), provides for the award of attorney fees and other expenses to eligible individuals and entities who are prevailing private parties in adjudicatory proceedings before the Commission. An eligible party may receive an award when it prevails over the Commission, unless the Commission's position was substantially justified or special circumstances make an award unjust. The rules in this part describe the parties eligible for awards and the proceedings that are covered. They also explain how to apply for awards, and the procedures and standards that the Commission will use to make them.

The Act applies to any covered adjudicatory proceeding pending before the Commission on or after October 1, 1981. This includes proceedings begun before October 1, 1981, if final Commission action has not been taken before that date. Awards may be sought for fees and other expenses incurred before October 1, 1981, in any such covered proceeding.

(a) The Act applies to adjudicatory proceedings conducted by the Commission. These are adjudications under 5 U.S.C. 554 in which the position of the Commission or any other agency of the United States, or any component of an agency, is presented by an attorney or other representative who enters an appearance and participates in the proceeding. Reparation proceedings under section 14 of the Commodity Exchange Act, 7 U.S.C. 18, Commission review of exchange disciplinary and access denial actions under section 8c of the Commodity Exchange Act, 7 U.S.C. 12c, and registered futures association disciplinary and membership denial actions under section 17 of the Commodity Exchange Act, 7 U.S.C. 21, are not covered by the Act. Proceedings brought to determine whether or not to grant or renew registrations pursuant to sections 8a or 17(o), of the Commodity Exchange Act, 7 U.S.C. 8, 12a and 21(o), or contract market designations pursuant to section 6(a) of the Commodity Exchange Act, 7 U.S.C. 8 (a), are excluded, but proceedings brought to suspend or revoke registrations or contract market designations are covered if they are otherwise adjudicatory proceedings. For the Commission, the types of proceedings generally covered are adjudicatory proceedings as defined in § 10.2(b) of this chapter; part 14 proceedings, if they involve a hearing, are also covered.

(b) The Commission's decision not to identify a type of proceeding as an adversary adjudication shall not preclude the filing of an application by a party who believes the proceeding is covered by the Act; whether the proceeding is covered will then be an issue for resolution in the proceedings on the application.

(c) If a proceeding includes both matters covered by the Act and matters specifically excluded from coverage, any award made will include only fees and expenses related to covered issues.

(a) To be eligible for an award of attorney fees and other expenses under the Act, the applicant must be a party to the adjudicatory proceeding for which it seeks an award. The term “party” is defined in 5 U.S.C. 551(3). The applicant must show that it meets all conditions of eligibility set out in this subpart and in subpart B.

(b) The types of eligible applicants are as follows:

(1) An individual with a net worth of not more than $2 million;

(2) The sole owner of an unincorporated business who has a net worth of not more than $7 million, including both personal and business interests, and not more that 500 employees;

(3) A charitable or other tax-exempt organization described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3)) with not more than 500 employees;

(4) A cooperative association as defined in section 15(a) of the Agricultural Marketing Act (12 U.S.C. 1141j(a)) with not more than 500 employees; and

(5) Any other partnership, corporation, association, unit of local government, or public or private organization with a net worth of not more than $7 million and not more than 500 employees.

(c) For the purpose of eligibility, the net worth and number of employees of an applicant shall be determined as of the date the adjudicatory proceeding was initiated.

(d) An applicant who owns an unincorporated business will be considered as an “individual” rather than a “sole owner of an unincorporated business” if the issues on which the applicant prevails are related primarily to personal interests rather than to business interests.

(e) The employees of an applicant include all persons who regularly perform services for compensation for the applicant, under the applicant's direction and control. The term “employee” also embraces all the agents of an applicant, by whatever title or label they may be known, for whose acts or omissions the applicant may be held liable under the Commodity Exchange Act. See 7 U.S.C. 4. Part-time employees shall be included on a proportional basis.

(f) The net worth and number of employees of the applicant and all of its affiliates shall be aggregated to determine eligibility. Any individual, corporation or other entity that directly or indirectly controls or owns a majority of the voting shares or other interest of the applicant, or any corporation or other entity of which the applicant directly or indirectly owns or controls a majority of the voting shares or other interest, will be considered an affiliate for purposes of this part, unless the Presiding Officer determines that such treatment would be unjust and contrary to the purposes of the Act in light of the actual relationship between the affiliated entities. In addition, the Presiding Officer may determine that financial relationships of the applicant other than those described in this paragraph constitute special circumstances that would make an award unjust.

(g) An applicant that participates in a proceeding on behalf of one or more other persons or entitles that would be ineligible is not itself eligible for an award.

(a) A prevailing applicant may receive an award for fees and expenses incurred in connection with an adjudicatory proceeding, or in a significant and discrete substantive portion of the proceeding, unless the position of the Commission was substantially justified. The position of the Commission includes, in addition to the position taken by the Commission in the adversary adjudication, the action or failure to act by the Commission upon which the adversary adjudication is based. The burden of proof that an award should not be made to an eligible prevailing applicant is on the Commission.

(b) An award will be reduced or denied if the applicant has unduly or unreasonably protracted the adjudicatory proceeding or if special circumstances make the award sought unjust.

(a) Awards will be based on rates customarily charged by persons engaged in the business of acting as attorneys, agents and expert witnesses, even if the services were made available without charge or at a reduced rate to the applicant.

(b) No award for the fee of an attorney or agent under these rules may exceed $75 per hour. No award to compensate an expert witness may exceed the maximum daily rate prescribed for GS-18 under section 5332 of title 5 of the U.S. Code. However, an award may also include the reasonable expenses of the attorney, agent, or witness as a separate item, if the attorney, agent or witness ordinarily charges clients separately for such expenses.

(c) In determining the reasonableness of the fee sought for an attorney, agent or expert witness, the Presiding Officer shall consider the following:

(1) If the attorney, agent or witness is in private practice, his or her customary fee for similar services, or, if an employee of the applicant, the fully allocated cost of the services;

(2) The prevailing rate for similar services in the community in which the attorney, agent or witness ordinarily performs services;

(3) The time actually spent in the representation of the applicant;

(4) The time reasonably spent in light of the difficulty or complexity of the issues in the adjudicatory proceeding; and

(5) Such other factors as may bear on the value of the services provided.

(d) The reasonable cost of any study, analysis, test, project or similar matter prepared on behalf of a party may be awarded, to the extent that the charge for the service does not exceed the prevailing rate for similar services, and the study or other matter was necessary for preparation of the applicant's case.

(a) If warranted by an increase in the cost of living or by special circumstances (such as limited availability of attorneys qualified to handle certain types of proceedings), the Commission may adopt regulations providing that attorney fees may be awarded at a rate higher than $75 per hour in some or all of the types of proceedings covered by this part. The Commission will conduct any rulemaking proceedings for this purpose under the informal rulemaking procedures of the Administrative Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C. 553.

(b) Any person may file with the Commission a petition for rulemaking to increase the maximum rate for attorney fees, in accordance with § 13.2 of this chapter.

If an applicant is entitled to an award because it prevails over another agency of the United States that participates in an adjudicatory proceeding before the Commission and takes a postion that is not substantially justified, the award or an appropriate portion of the award shall be made against that agency.