Thrower v. Academy Mortg. Corp., 172 F.4^th 703 (9^th Cir. 2026)

Gwen Thrower was awarded attorneys’ fees, expenses, and costs in her False Claims Act action against Academy Mortgage, her former employer. After the district court approved the settlement in the amount of $38.5 million (including $11.5 million to Thrower personally), it awarded Thrower $8.6 million in attorneys’ fees and $90,000 in expenses. Thrower also sought post‑judgment interest on the attorneys’ fees from the time of the court’s approval of the settlement (January 2023). However, the district court awarded post‑judgment interest on the attorneys’ fees from the time of the entry of the order in May 2024 and not from the time of the approval of the settlement. The Ninth Circuit affirmed the lower court’s judgment, holding that the May 2024 order was the only judgment that provided a “definite and certain designation of the amount” of attorneys’ fees owed to Thrower from which to calculate the interest payment.