[brief] **  The trial court arbitrarily disregarded [...]’s opposition to the costs sought by [...] and instead stated costs were “undisputed. ”  (Pa0043.)  The trial court also stated it was awarding costs “at 6.4%.”  But, the amount the trial court awarded in costs ($88,827) was different than the 6.4% of costs calculated by [...] ($55,670).  (Da262.)  The trial court’s decision on costs was incorrect.  In an attempt to justify the trial court’s award of costs, [...] claims that the majority of the costs awarded – for experts – are recoverable under New Jersey law.  They are not.  “Experts’ fees are not ordinarily includable as taxed costs. ”  Pressler & Verniero, *Current N.J. Court Rules*, cmt. on Rule 4:42-8.  [...] asserts that the holding that expert costs were not recoverable in *Helton v. Prudential Prop. & Cas. Ins. Co.*, 205 N.J. Super. 196 (App. Div. 1985) and *Velli v. Rutgers Cas. Ins. Co.*, 257 N.J. Super. 308 (App. Div. 1992) was restricted to PIP claims.  (Prb 18.)  This is incorrect; both *Helton* and *Velli* addressed whether costs were recoverable under Rule 4:42-8, not under the PIP statute.  See Helton, 205 N.J. Super. at 202; Velli, 257 N.J. Super. at 311.  In fact, almost every decision to address whether expert costs are recoverable under Rule 4:42-8 has held that expert costs are not recoverable.  See Greenfeld v. Caesar's Atl. City Hotel/Casino, 334 N.J. Super. 149, 156 (Law. Div. 2000) (holding, in an action to confirm an arbitration award in a personal injury action, that “experts' fees are generally not permitted as taxed costs. ”); Buccinna v. Micheletti, 311 N.J. Super. 557, 565–66 (App. Div. 1998) (holding, in a CEPA action, that “[e]xpenses for either an expert preparing for trial or obtaining an expert's report are merely costs incident to trial preparation . . . they are part of the expenses that must be borne by every litigant in their own case. ”)  The only case cited by [...] in support of its claim for expert witness fees is Bung's Bar & Grille, Inc. v. Township Council of Florence Township, 206 N.J. Super. 432 (Law. Div. 1985).  But, Bung’s has no relevance here; the case dealt with “[t]he question of the allowance of expert witness fees as costs in a civil rights action[.]”  Id. at 479.  The court held that the award of expert fees was proper “for advancing the purposes of the federal Awards Act and the Civil Rights Act[.]”  Id. at 485.  The Bung’s court noted that expert fees generally are not recoverable under New Jersey law but the fee shifting provisions of the federal statutes at issue warranted a recovery of expert fees.  The court went so far as to note that expert fees should be recoverable based on “more liberal federal rule[s]” regarding fee shifting.  *Id.* at 486.  *Bung’s* is not only consistent with, but actually supports U.S. Fire’s position that expert fees are not recoverable under New Jersey law.  The trial court ignored [...]’s opposition on the issue of costs, relied on a single inapplicable Law Division opinion to award expert costs, and calculated recoverable costs at a number inconsistent with the 6.4% number cited in its opinion.  (Pa0043; Da262.)  The trial court’s award of costs should be reversed.  **C.