Source: https://lamothefirm.com/2017/02/01/new-article-published-taxing-costs-in-federal-court/
Timestamp: 2019-04-24 12:42:38+00:00

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Lamothe Law Firm attorney Richard Martin recently published an article in the Louisiana Association for Justice publication, Louisiana Advocates. Mr. Martin is a veteran trial lawyer with over 30 years of experience handling personal injury and wrongful death cases including maritime, Jones Act, automobile, product liability, aviation and pharmaceutical claims. Mr. Martin has tried and won multi-million dollar litigation cases during his career in federal and state courts. He has particular experience in federal multi-district litigation and federal and state court class actions, and has also served on numerous mass tort case management committees and subcommittees.
There are occasions when a claim against a defendant must be tried. If your case is in federal court, various costs are incurred through trial, which include, e.g., expert reports, expert “appearance fees” for attending trial, fact witness fees and mileage, subpoenas, copies of materials, etc. Some costs may be recovered as taxable costs, some cannot. Your client will have his/her recovery reduced by those costs which are not taxable, so the client needs to know what items will ultimately come out of his own pocket.
So, what is the bottom line about federal court taxable costs? First, they will only be a portion of what it costs to successfully prosecute your case through trial (e.g., no taxation of expert report costs, or expert “trial appearance” witness fees). Second, if you have multiple defendants and one settles and the other takes its chances at trial, the district judge will probably impose taxable costs on the trial defendant in a percentage equal to its fault. Make sure your client understands this when you discuss the merits of settlement versus trial, and explain what it will cost to try the case.
1 Roofing v. Assurance Co. of America, 2016 WL 4261768 (E.D. La. 8/12/16) (Milazzo, J.); Seal v. Knorpp, 957 F.2d 1230 (5th Cir. 1992) (applying 28 U.S.C. §§ 1821 and 1920 in a diversity case).
2 Manderson v. Chet Morrison Contractors, Inc., 666 F.3d 373, 384 (5th Cir.2012) (quoting Schwarz v. Folloder, 767 F.2d 125, 131 (5th Cir.1985).
3 Sigur v. Emerson Process Mgmt., 2008 WL 1908590 (M.D. La. 2/21/2008); Schwarz v. Folloder, 767 F.2d 126 (5th Cir. 1985); Holmes v. Cessna Aircraft Co., 11 F.3d 63 (5th Cir. 1994).
4 Gagnon v. United Technisource, Inc., 607 F.3d 1036 (5th Cir. 2010) quoting Cook Children’s Med. Ctr. v. The New England PPO Plan of Gen. Consolidation Mgmt., Inc., 491 F.3d 266, 274 (5th Cir.2007).
5 Barber v. T.D. Williamson, Inc., 234 F.3d 1223 (10th Cir. 2001); Pierce v. County of Orange, 905 F.Supp.2d 1017 (C.D. cal. 2012).
6 Steve Granger v. Bisso Marine, LLC, et al., No. 15-477 (E.D. La.) (Order and Reasons 11/14/2016).
7 In United States ex rel. Long v. GSDMIdea City, L.L.C., 807 F.3d 125, 129-133 (5th Cir. 2015), the Fifth Circuit discussed most of the items that may be taxed as costs.
8 Champion International Corporation v. International Woodworkers of America, 482 U.S. 437, 107 S.Ct. 2494, 96 L.Ed.2d 385 (1987).
9 Migis v. Pearle Vision, Inc., 135 F.3d 1041, 1049 (5th Cir. 1998); Kinnear-Weed Corp. v. Humble Oil & Ref. Co., 441 F.2d 631 (5th Cir.1971).
10 Walters v. Roadway Express, Inc., 557 F.2d 521, 526 (5th Cir. 1977).
12 GSDMIdea City, L.L.C., 807 F.3d at 130.
13 Fogleman, 920 F.2d at 285.
15 International Woodworkers of America, AFL-CIO and its Local No. 5-376 v. Champion Intern. Corp., 790 F.2d 1174 (5th Cir. 1986). See also Crawford Fitting Co. V. J.T. Gibbons, Inc., 482 U.S. 437, 439 (1987) (expert fees not taxable as costs beyond statutory per diem fee, mileage, and subsistence allowance).
17 Marmillion v. American Int’l Ins. Co., 381 F.App’x 421, 423 (5th Cir. 2010).
18 GSDMIdea City, L.L.C., 807 F.3d at 125.
19 Tyler v. Int’l Brotherhood of Elec. Workers, 2000 WL 977602 (E.D. La. 7/14/2000); Zapata Gulf v. Puerto Rico Mar. Shipping Auth., 133 F.R.D. 481, 484 (E.D. La. 1990) (“essentially undocumented” copy costs not allowed).
20 Studiengesellschaft Kohle gmbH v. Eastman Kodak Co., 713 F.2d 128 (5th Cir. 1983) (disallowing district court’s award of costs for charts, models, and photographs in the absence of pre-trial approval by the district court); Baisden v. I’m Ready Prods., Inc., 793 F.Supp.2d 970, 986 (S.D. Tex. 2011) (not allowing costs for producing demonstrative exhibits).
21 Doby v. Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon Ministries Corp., 2015 WL 4877786 (D. Or. 8/14/2015); Am. Bank of St. Paul v. TD Bank, NA, 2012 WL 1622615 (D. Minn. 5/9/2012) (mock jury fees generally characterized as attorney fees and not reasonably necessary).

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