Litigation Costs Become Issue After Victim Wins Trial

The following blog entry is written to illustrate a common motion filed during civil litigation. Reviewing this kind of filing should help potential plaintiffs and clients better understand how parties in personal injury cases present such issues to the court.

(Please also note: the names and locations of all parties have been changed to protect the confidentiality of the participants in this car accident lawsuit and its proceedings.)

ITEM NO. 12 FOR COURT REPORTER FEES IS ALLOWABLE BY STATUTE.

Finally, defendant objects to plaintiff’s cost Item No. 12 for the fees charged by the official court reporter of this trial. At the conclusion of the case, plaintiff submitted a check to the clerk of the court in the amount of $2,483 directly for payment of the official court reporter fees.

Pursuant to Government Code section 68086(a)(1), such a fee was required by statute:

“(a) The following provisions apply in Superior Court:(1) In addition to any other fee required in civil actions or cases, for each proceeding lasting more than one hour, a fee equal to the actual cost of providing that service shall be charged per one-half day of service to the parties, on a prorata basis, for the services of an official court reporter on the first and each succeeding judicial day.” Obviously the services of the official court reporter are required by law and were paid by plaintiff and are therefore recoverable.

CONCLUSION

Here, defendant chose to turn down an eminently fair settlement offer and instead elected to go to great expense in fighting liability and damages in this case by extremely expensive defense expert witnesses. Additionally, defendant wasted substantial court assets and time in insisting upon a two-week jury trial that could have been resolved far less expensively.

For more information you are welcome to contact Sacramento personal injury lawyer, Moseley Collins.

Defendant should not be rewarded for such conduct, but in fact pursuant to the authorities cited herein, should be punished and held accountable for plaintiff’s cost bill as submitted. This trial was not a fight of plaintiff’s choosing.

For more information you are welcome to contact Sacramento personal injury lawyer, Moseley Collins.