Title: Marshall v. Reeves

State: indiana

Issuer: Indiana Supreme Court

Document:

316 N.E.2d 828 (1974)
Martha Lou (Reeves) MARSHALL, Defendant-Appellant,
v.
Ronald David REEVES, Plaintiff-Appellee.
No. 674S112.

Supreme Court of Indiana.
October 3, 1974.
*829 Phillip H. Minton, Thomas J. Jeffers, Indianapolis, for defendant-appellant.
Lawrence H. Hinds, Indianapolis, for plaintiff-appellee.
HUNTER, Justice.
Before this Court is a motion to tax costs on appeal which was filed subsequent to our opinion on the merits in the same case. Appellee seeks to include transfer and attorney fees as "costs" to be borne by appellant. However, neither a transfer fee nor attorney fees are included as costs under AP. 15(G):
The instant appeal involved child custody and no monetary damages were at issue at any stage of the proceedings. This is not a proper case for assessing damages pursuant to AP. 15(F):
A discretionary award of damages is proper where an appeal is frivolous, or without substance or merit. Marks v. Bremmer (1917) 186 Ind. 434, 116 N.E. 738. Further, a penalty may be assessed where an appeal is taken merely to harass or delay the appellee, "thus presenting an illustration of vexatious litigation, that crowds our courts to the detriment of meritorious actions, and which should not go unrebuked." Vandalia R. Co. v. Walsh, (1909) 44 Ind. App. 297, 299, 89 N.E. 320.
No discretionary award of damages is proper here. The instant appeal was taken in good faith upon legal and equitable grounds which a majority of the Court of Appeals and one member of this Court found to be persuasive.
For the foregoing reasons, the motion to tax costs on appeal is hereby denied.
Motion denied.
ARTERBURN, C.J., and DeBRULER, GIVAN and PRENTICE, JJ., concur.