Disposition notice
On October 13, 2026, Judge Cynthia Valenzuela of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California granted the joint motion for settlement of attorney fees in Amy Arnette's case against the Commissioner of Social Security and the Social Security Administration. The order awards $7,200 in fees under 28 U.S.C. § 2412(d) and $405 in costs, subject to the joint motion's terms. The fees are payable to Arnette, but if the Treasury Department determines that she does not owe a federal debt, the government must pay the fees directly to Prato Reichman, APC under her assignment; any payment must be delivered to her counsel's law firm. Citing Astrue v. Ratliff, the order explains that honoring the assignment depends on whether the fees are subject to an offset. The two-page order does not decide the underlying Social Security claim or separately resolve any other issue.