MEMORANDUM AND ORDER Plaintiffs Seth Feuer and Susann Feuer (“plaintiffs”) brought this action against Cornerstone Hotels Corp., doing business as, at various times, Sun N Sand Hotel, Sea Haven Resort, Ocean Breeze Motel, and Longview Motel (“Cornerstone”), and Naeem Butt (“Butt,” and collectively with Cornerstone, “defendants”), asserting claims under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”), 29 U.S.C. §201 et seq., and the New York Labor Law (“NYLL”), N.Y. Lab. Law §§190 et seq. and 650 et seq. Specifically, plaintiffs alleged that defendants violated the following provisions: (1) the minimum wage and overtime provisions of the FLSA, 29 U.S.C. §§206(a), 207(a); (2) the minimum wage and overtime provisions of the NYLL, N.Y. Lab. Law §§160, 652(1); (3) the “spread of hours” provisions under the NYLL, N.Y. Comp. Codes R. & Regs tit. 12, §142-2.4; (4) N.Y. Lab. Law §195(3), which requires employers to furnish employees with wage statements containing certain information each payday; and (5) N.Y. Lab. Law §195(1), which requires employers to furnish employees with a wage notice containing certain information at the time of hiring and on an annual basis. (ECF No. 1.) Plaintiffs sought slightly less than $80,000 in damages. (ECF No. 87 at 17-18.) On January 24, 2020, after a two-day bench trial on September 5 and 6, 2018, this Court issued its findings of fact and conclusions of law. Feuer v. Cornerstone Hotels Corp., No. 14-CV-5388 (JFB) (SIL), 2020 WL 401787, at *1 (E.D.N.Y. Jan. 24, 2020). In summary, the Court concluded that plaintiffs were entitled to the following relief: (1) $92 in unpaid wages for violations of the minimum wage provisions of the FLSA and NYLL relating to Seth Feuer; (2) $92 in liquidated damages relating to Seth Feuer; (3) $2,700 in statutory damages relating to Seth Feuer in connection with his eighteen weeks of employment for violation of the wage statements and notice provisions under the NYLL; (4) $2,400 in statutory damages relating to Susann Feuer in connection with her sixteen weeks of employment for violation of the wage statements and notice provisions under the NYLL; (5) pre-judgment interest; and (6) post-judgment interest. Id. at *1-2 (E.D.N.Y. Jan. 24, 2020). Presently before the Court is a motion for fees and costs filed by plaintiffs’ counsel, Borrelli & Associates, (ECF. No. 106), as well as their request for taxation of costs (ECF Nos. 101-02). Accompanying their motion for fees and costs is a memorandum of law (“Pls.’ Mem.”) and an affidavit from Danielle E. Mietus (“Mietus Aff.”) with attached exhibits. (ECF Nos. 107-08.) In particular, plaintiffs’ counsel seeks $50,772.50 in fees for certain tasks and $1,344.91 in reimbursable costs. Mr. Butt submitted his objection to the motion on September 28, 2020, principally arguing that the fee request was excessive in light of plaintiffs’ limited success. (ECF No. 113.) Plaintiffs filed a reply on October 15, 2020, responding that their fee award need not be proportional to the amount of their recovery under governing Second Circuit case law and reiterating that their requested fee award is reasonable. (ECF No. 114.) In their reply, plaintiffs also requested an additional $750 in fees for time spent preparing that letter brief, which brings the total requested fee amount to $51,522.50. (Id. at 3 n.3.) With respect to their request for taxation of costs, which was filed along with a Bill of Costs and certain supporting documentation, plaintiffs request that the Clerk of Court tax their costs in the amount of $1,418.09. (ECF Nos. 101-02.) As explained below, the Court concludes, in its discretion, that the fees requested by plaintiffs’ counsel are excessive and should be reduced to $29,176.50 for which defendants are jointly and severally liable, and, for work performed in connection with the motion for default judgment, an additional $1,737.00 for which Cornerstone alone is liable. The Court further concludes that plaintiffs should be awarded the full $1,344.91 in reimbursable costs and that the requested $1,418.09 in taxable costs is properly taxable. I. BACKGROUND A. Factual Background The Court set forth the factual and procedural background of this case in its January 24, 2020 Memorandum and Order, see Feuer, 2020 WL 401787, at *2-8, and that background is incorporated by reference herein. II. DISCUSSION Plaintiffs’ counsel does not request fees for all of their time spent on this case; rather, as noted above, they request $51,522.50 in fees for certain tasks and $1,344.91 in reimbursable costs. (Mietus Aff.
46, 82; ECF No. 114 at 3 n.3.) In particular, plaintiffs seek $48,627.50 for compensation for the following tasks from both defendants jointly and severally: (1) $3,625 for drafting the complaint; (2) $3,512.50 for engaging in discovery and attending nine court conferences; (3) $33,410 for briefing the motion for partial summary judgment and responding to Butt’s cross-motions to amend and to dismiss; (4) $1,750 for conducting the first day of the two-day bench trial; (5) $5,580 for the initial fee application; and (6) $750 for their fee application reply. (Mietus Aff.
