Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-4_00-cv-03274/USCOURTS-cand-4_00-cv-03274-3/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 550
Nature of Suit: Prisoner - Civil Rights (U.S. defendant)
Cause of Action: 42:1983 Prisoner Civil Rights

---

United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

1 This court finds the motion appropriate for decision without further oral argument,

as permitted by Civil L.R. 7-1(b) and Fed. R. Civ. P. 78. See also Lake at Las Vegas Investors

Group, Inc. v. Pacific Malibu Dev. Corp., 933 F.2d 724, 729 (9th Cir. 1991) (holding that the

court's consideration of the moving and opposition papers is deemed an adequate substitute

for a formal hearing), cert. denied, 503 U.S. 920 (1992). Accordingly, the October 11, 2006

hearing date is VACATED. 

United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

DENNIS N. ERVINE,

Plaintiff, No. C 00-3274 PJH

v. ORDER ON MOTION

FOR REVIEW OF CLERK’S

JESSICA CLARKE, et al., TAXATION OF COSTS

Defendants.

_______________________________/

Before this court is defendant’s motion for review of the clerk’s taxation of costs,

which the clerk issued on August 28, 2006, in the amount of $10,480.83 against plaintiff

and in the amount of $13,914.02 against defendants. Having carefully read the parties’

papers and considered the relevant legal authority, the court hereby rules as follows:1

As the parties have noted in their briefs, plaintiff prevailed on his case at trial with

respect to two of eight defendants, while the remaining six defendants were found not

liable. Defendants, therefore, prevailed as to those six defendants. When costs are

properly apportioned pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 54(d), plaintiff is therefore

entitled to 25 percent of his costs (as the prevailing party with respect to 2 of 8 defendants),

and defendants are entitled to 75 percent of their costs (as the prevailing party with respect

to 6 of 8 defendants). 

 The court has reviewed both the parties’ briefs, and the underlying bills of costs

Case 4:00-cv-03274-PJH Document 236 Filed 10/05/06 Page 1 of 2
United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

2

submitted by the parties, and is unable to determine whether the parties’ costs as

submitted to the clerk were properly apportioned, as stated above. It appears that they

were not, and that plaintiff, for example, has been granted costs as to the entirety of his

case against all eight defendants, despite having only prevailed as to two. While the

defendants’ revised bill of costs, by contrast, appears to have been properly filed on behalf

of only six defendants, there is simply no indication in either the bill of costs or defendants’

papers, that the actual costs set forth therein were reduced to reflect the proper

apportionment. Accordingly, the clerk’s taxation of costs cannot be said to reflect the

proper apportionment of costs, either, as it appears to grant costs to each side regardless

of the degree to which each party prevailed. 

The court will not require, on the one hand, that all defendants to bear plaintiff’s

costs, when plaintiff prevailed as to only two, or that the two liable defendants bear

plaintiff’s costs, when those costs are as to all defendants. On the other hand, the court

will similarly not require plaintiff, a death row inmate with clearly limited resources, to bear

defendants’ costs. 

Accordingly, in consideration of all the above, and in further consideration of the

equities present in the case, the court hereby ORDERS that all parties are to bear their own

costs. 

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: October 5, 2006

______________________________

PHYLLIS J. HAMILTON

United States District Judge

Case 4:00-cv-03274-PJH Document 236 Filed 10/05/06 Page 2 of 2