## SU P ERI O R CO U RT

of t h e

ST A T E O F DELA WA RE

J e f f re y J C l a rk K e n t C o u n t y C o u rt h o u se J u d g e 38 T h e G re e n

Do ve r, D E 1990 1

T e l e ph o n e ( 30 2) 735-2111

M ar ch 1, 2017

E dwar d C. Gi l l

, E s q. Dav i d C. M al ates ta, J r

. , E s q.

L aw Of f i ce of E dwar d C. Gi l l

, & A s s oci ates K en t & M cB r i de, P .C.

16 Nor t h B edf or d S tr eet 824 Nor th M ar ket S tr eet

Geor g etown

, DE 1 9947 S u i te 8 05

Wi l m i n g ton

, DE 19801

M on i ca E

. O’ Nei l l

, E s q.

F ou r P en n Cen ter

1600 J F K B l v d.

, S u i te 620

P h i l adel p h i a, P A 19103

RE: Rober t Ban

gs v. Dian a & Dawn Follin

K15C- 05- 008 J

JC

Cou n s el :

T h i s pr em i s e l i abi l i ty m

atter was tr i ed by a j u

r y du r i n g th e week of J an

u ar y 23,

2017. D ef

en dan ts

, as th e pr ev ai l i n g par

ti es

, seek r ecov er

y of cos t s pur s u an

t to

S u p er i o r Cou

r t Ci v i l Ru l e 5 4. T h e Cou r t h as r ev i ewed D ef

en dan ts ’ m oti on f or cos ts

an d the P la int if

f ’ s r es pon se. Wh i l e th e m ajor i ty of th e cos ts sou g h t i n th i s cas e ar e

u n oppos ed, P lai n

t i f f objects t o th e awar d of ex p er t f ee r ei m bu r sem en t f or t h e

Def en dan ts ’ l i abi l i ty ex

per t, M r

. H r obak. S ecti on 8906, of T i tl e 10, D el awar e Code

pr ov i des f or t h e i n cl u si on o f ex

per t f ees i n an as s es s m en

t of cos ts af

ter tr i al

. P l ai n

ti f f

objects

, h owev er

, al l eg i n g a l ack of detai l s u bm i tted by th e Def

en dan ts i n su ppor t of

th e r equ es t.T h e Cou r t a gr e e s t hat th e i n

v oi ce s u bm i tted does n o t s u f

f i ci en tl y detai l or

s u ppor t th e ex per t f ees s ou g h t. T h e bu r den i s on th e p r ev ai l i n g par ty to ju s ti f

y an d

s u bs tan ti ate th e awar d of cos ts by both h ou r l y r ates ( tes t i m

on y v er s u s tr av el ) an d

s peci f i cati on as t o t he a m ou

n t of ti m e s pen

t. 1 H er e, th e i n

v oi ce does n ot i tem

i ze

h ou r l y r ates appl i cabl e to t

r i al or tr av el

, or of

f er a br eakdown b etween tr i al t es ti m on y

an d tr av el t i m e. A s t h e pr ev ai l i n g par ty

, Def en dan t s ar e per m i tted th es e cos ts at t

h e

di s cr eti o n of th e Cou

r t, 2 b u t m u s t f u r n i s h th e Cou

r t w it h an i tem

i zati o n by r ate an d

ti m e s pen t bef or e s u ch ex

p en s es wi l l be awar ded. A ccor di n g l y

, t h e Cou r t wi l l def er

i ts awar d of cos ts i n th i s cas e to per m i t t h e D ef en dan t s ti m e t o s u

ppl em en t th ei r m oti on

wi t h s u f f i ci en t detai l to ju s t i f

y th e awar d o f ex

per t f ees f or Mr

. H r obak’ s tr i al

tes ti m on y

, as wel l as h i s tr av el ti m e to an d f r om Cou r t.

E x per t f ees f or th e tes ti m

o n y f or th e Def en dan ts ’ m edi cal ex per t, M r

. H r obak’ s

m i l eag e an d m eal ex

pen s e, an d cou

r t cos t s ar e al l r ecov er abl e i n th i s cas e i n th e am ou n t

r equ es ted. I f Def

en dan ts con ti n u e to seek ex

per t f ee r ei m bu r s em en t f or M r

. H r obak,

th ey m u s t f u r n i sh th e Cou

r t wi th s u f f i ci en t s u bs tan t i ati on f or th es e f ees by n o l ater th an

M ar ch 9, 2017. T h er eaf

t er

, i f oppos ed, P l ai n

ti f f m u s t r es pon d by n o l ater th an M ar ch

16, 2017. A t th e con cl u si on of th e s u bm i s s i on

, th e Cou

r t wi l l i s su e an or der of f

i n al

ju dg m en t, i n cl u s i v e of awar d abl e cos ts

.

I T I S S O O RDERED.

/ s /J ef f r ey J Cl ar k

J u dg e

1 R u s s o v. M

e dlab C linical Tes ting, I

nc

. , 2001 W L 3 4082277, at *4 ( Del

. Super

. No v

. 14,

2001)

.

2 See Dunning v

. B ar nes

, 2002 W L 3 1814525 ( Del

. Super

. N o v

. 4, 2002) ( r eco gn i zi n g t h e

di s cr et i o n a f

f o r ded t h e C o ur t i

n s uch an awar d)

.

2