Source: http://www.fsmlaw.org/fsm/code/code2014/FSMCode2014Tit06Chap10.html
Timestamp: 2017-12-14 17:27:09
Document Index: 226565189

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 262', '§ 2', '§ 263', '§ 4', '§ 264', '§ 1', '§ 175', '§ 1']

FSMCode2014Tit06Chap10
Source: TT Code 1966 § 262; TT Code 1970, 6 TTC 404; COM PL 6-101 § 2; TT Code 1980, 6 TTC 404.
(2) Copy of records. For a copy of any record or other paper in his custody, comparison thereof, and certifying it to be a true copy, twenty-five cents plus ten cents for each 100 words in excess of the first 100.
Source: TT Code 1966 § 263; TT Code 1970, 6 TTC 405; COM PL 6-101 § 4; TT Code 1980, 6 TTC 405.
Source: TT Code 1966 § 264; TT Code 1970, 6 TTC 406; COM PL 6-101 § 1; TT Code 1980, 6 TTC 406.
Case annotations: The FSM Supreme Court's Trial Division is not precluded from allowing reasonable travel expenses of an attorney for a prevailing party as costs under 6 F.S.M.C. 1018 where there is a showing that no attorney is available on the island where the litigation is taking place. Ray v. Elec. Contracting Corp., 2 FSM R. 21, 26 (App. 1985).
Procedural statute, 6 F.S.M.C. 1018, providing that the court may tax any additional costs incurred in litigation against the losing party other than fees of counsel, applies only to Trust Territory courts and not to courts of the FSM, and therefore does not preclude the FSM Supreme Court from awarding attorney's fees as costs. Semens v. Continental Airlines, Inc. (II), 2 FSM R. 200, 205 (Pon. 1986).
The rule that each party to a suit normally must pay its own attorney's fees is the proper foundation upon which the system in the FSM should be built. Semens v. Continental Airlines, Inc. (II), 2 FSM R. 200, 208 (Pon. 1986).
There is flexibility to modify the normal rule that each party pays its own attorney's fees when justice requires, and thus attorney's fees may be assessed for willful violation of a court order, when a party acts vexatiously or in bad faith, presses frivolous claims, or employs oppressive litigation practices, or when the successful efforts of a party have generated a common fund or extended substantial benefits to a class. Semens v. Continental Airlines, Inc. (II), 2 FSM R. 200, 208 (Pon. 1986).
Recognizing that courts in most of the world normally do award attorney's fees to the prevailing party, the rule allowing a prevailing party to obtain an award of attorney's fees should perhaps be applied more liberally in the FSM than in the United States. Semens v. Continental Airlines, Inc. (II), 2 FSM R. 200, 208 (Pon. 1986).
Case annotations: The determination of costs to be awarded to the prevailing party in litigation is a matter generally within the discretion of the trial court. Ray v. Elec. Contracting Corp., 2 FSM R. 21, 25 (App. 1985).
Where plaintiff's complaint is written in English and the defendant requests a written translation into a local Micronesian language, and where appears that this is the only language the defendant can speak or read, the trial judge may order that the court provide a written translation and that the expense of providing the translation shall be taxed as a cost to the party not prevailing in the action. Rawepi v. Billimon, 2 FSM R. 240, 241 (Truk 1986).
Where there is dismissal of an action, even though the dismissal is voluntary and without prejudice, the defendant is the prevailing party within the meaning of Rule 54(d) which provides for awards of costs to the prevailing party. Mailo v. Twum-Barimah, 3 FSM R. 411, 413 (Pon. 1988).
FSM Civil Rule 68, allowing for taxation of costs against a plaintiff who declines the defendant's offer of judgment and who then obtains a judgment less favorable than the amount of the offer, does not apply when the litigation is dismissed. Mailo v. Twum-Barimah, 3 FSM R. 411, 413 (Pon. 1988).
Where a plaintiff seeks dismissal of her own complaint without prejudice under Rule 41(a)(2), it is generally thought that the court should at least require the plaintiff to pay the defendant's costs of the litigation as a condition to such dismissal and these costs may include travel expenses of plaintiff's attorney. Mailo v. Twum-Barimah, 3 FSM R. 411, 415 (Pon. 1988).
Where the court set aside a default judgment upon the payment by defendant to plaintiff of air fare to attend the trial, no modification will be granted to require the defendant to pay the costs of the plaintiff's counsel to go to plaintiff's residence to take his deposition which is being noticed by the plaintiff, especially where there is no showing that plaintiff could not attend the trial, nor will the court decide before trial whether such deposition could be used at trial. Morris v. Truk, 3 FSM R. 454, 456-57 (Truk 1988).
Expenses such as faxing and telephoning to and from counsel, and travel, incurred because the defendant selected off-island counsel, fall outside the kind of expenses traditionally payable by the losing party and will be disallowed as costs, except where there is a showing of the unavailability of local counsel. Salik v. U Corp., 4 FSM R. 48, 49 (Pon. 1989).
As a general rule, attorney's fees will be awarded as an element of costs only if it is shown that such fees were traceable to unreasonable or vexatious actions of the opposing party, but where the basic litigation flows from a reasonable difference of interpretation of a lease, the court is disinclined to attempt to sort out or isolate particular aspects of one claim or another of the parties and to earmark attorney's fees awards for those specific aspects. Salik v. U Corp., 4 FSM R. 48, 49-50 (Pon. 1989).
The court commits no error, when a question of sufficiency of witness fees is not brought promptly to the attention of the court, to consider the matter as an allowance of costs. In re Island Hardware, Inc., 5 FSM R. 170, 175 (App. 1991).
Where there are elements of victory and loss for both parties there is not a prevailing party to which costs could be allowed. In re Island Hardware, Inc., 5 FSM R. 170, 175 (App. 1991).
The government does not pay twice when it violates someone's civil rights and then is forced to pay attorney's fees. It pays only once - as a violator of civil rights. Its role as a provider of public services is distinct from its role as a defendant in a civil case. Thus an award of costs and reasonable attorney's fees should be made to a publicly funded legal services organization whose client prevailed in a civil rights action. Plais v. Panuelo, 5 FSM R. 319, 321 (Pon. 1992).
When a plaintiff's motion is denied on the merits, the defendant may recover costs under FSM Civil Rule 54(d) if properly verified. Berman v. Kolonia Town, 6 FSM R. 242, 244 (Pon. 1993).
When a judgment is affirmed on appeal, costs are usually taxable against the appellant if the appellee timely files its bill of costs with the appellate division. A bill of costs for trial transcripts must be filed in trial court appealed from. Nena v. Kosrae (III), 6 FSM R. 564, 568-69 (App. 1994).
The filing of a petition for rehearing does not automatically extend the time for filing a bill of costs or for opposing a timely filed bill of costs, to a period beyond the ruling on the petition for rehearing. Nena v. Kosrae (III), 6 FSM R. 564, 569 n.5 (App. 1994).
Taxation of costs is not an additional award for the prevailing party. It is a reimbursement to the prevailing party of actual expenses (costs) incurred. A motion for taxation of costs must be denied if it fails to adequately verify appellee's actual costs. Nena v. Kosrae (III), 6 FSM R. 564, 569-70 (App. 1994).
The provision that the cost of printing or otherwise producing necessary copies of briefs, appendices or copies of the record shall be taxable in the Supreme Court appellate division at rates not higher than those generally charged for such work in the area where the clerk's office is located, does not set the amount to be awarded; it sets a cap or upper limit on the actual costs incurred that can be reimbursed. Nena v. Kosrae (III), 6 FSM R. 564, 569-70 (App. 1994).
Source: TT Code 1966 § 175(a); TT Code 1970, 6 TTC 451; COM PL 5-54 § 1; TT Code 1980, 6 TTC 451.