Opinion
No. 00 C 4854
May 31, 2002
MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER
In her prove-up of damages following a liability finding, plaintiff has established that she paid $1,584.22 for medical insurance she did not have, that she has paid $2,620 for medical prescriptions that should have been covered, that she has paid $1,762.70 for medical bills that should have been covered, and that she has incurred medical expenses of $10,302.28 that should have been covered. The purpose is to restore plaintiff to the same position she would have been in if defendant had not permitted the insurance to lapse. If that had happened, she would have paid the premiums and she would have been covered. She is not, therefore, entitled to recovery of the premiums but she is entitled to the coverage she would have had. That amount is $14,684.98.
She is also entitled to attorney's fees and costs. We have no quarrel with the costs of $2,340.77, or with the number of hours expended. We do think, however, that $180 is a bit high for an associate with the firm about two years, who began working on the case when she joined the firm. We think $150 per hour is reasonable, as approved by Judge Kennelly inHobson v. Lincoln Insurance Agency, Inc., Accordingly, we award fees of $10,932 and costs of $2,340.77.
The total amount of the judgment is $27,957.75.