Opinion ID: 2065993
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Expert Witness Fees and Costs

Text: Lopez-Solis challenges the assessment of fees paid to Dr. Susan Roe, the medical examiner, and Joe Castorena, a toxicologist. Lopez-Solis concedes that fees incurred for expert testimony are recoverable. See Minn. Stat. § 357.25 (1996) (providing that trial judge has discretion to award expert witness fees); Minn. Gen. R. Prac. 127 (providing that court administrators may tax $300 per day for expert witness fees subject to increase or decrease by a judge); see also Klinzing v. Gutterman, 250 Minn. 534, 538, 85 N.W.2d 665, 668 (1957) (holding that expert witness fees are recoverable against defeated party in civil case); Kundiger v. Metropolitan Life Ins. Co., 218 Minn. 273, 286, 15 N.W.2d 487, 495 (1944) (allowing expert witness fees in civil case).
The record before us indicates that Rice County does not employ a medical examiner. Instead, Rice County used the services of Dr. Roe, an assistant medical examiner for Ramsey County, who conducted an autopsy. Dr. Roe also testified at each of Lopez-Solis' trials, testifying that in her opinion the victim's cause of death was a homicide. The trial court granted the state's request for reimbursement for Dr. Roe's expert witness fees. Lopez-Solis argues that the costs of a medical examiner conducting an autopsy, preparing an autopsy report, and testifying at trial are costs that should not be imposed against a criminal defendant following conviction. Lopez-Solis contends that because the legislature requires county sheriffs to report all violent deaths to the medical examiner and because it is within the medical examiner's discretion whether to conduct an autopsy, the medical examiner should be viewed as an independent party. See Minn.Stat. § 390.32 (1996). We agree with Lopez-Solis that expenses incurred by medical examiners in conducting an autopsy, preparing an autopsy report, and testifying at trial may not be imposed against a criminal defendant following conviction. These services are provided independent of a criminal prosecution and therefore are not recoverable. Therefore, the $1,200 awarded by the trial court for Dr. Roe's trial testimony is reversed. [4]
While Lopez-Solis does not take issue with the costs imposed for the testimony of toxicologist Castorena, he challenges the award of costs for Castorena's travel from Texas. Lopez-Solis argues that travel expenses incurred as part of an expert's preparation and testimony are limited by Minn. Stat. § 357.22 (1996), which provides: The fees to be paid to witnesses shall be as follows    (2)[f]or travel to and from the place of attendance, to be estimated from the witness's residence, if within the state, or from the boundary line of the state where the witness crossed it, if without the state, 28 cents per mile. Id. However, the same section further states that [n]o person is obliged to attend as a witness in any civil case unless one day's attendance and travel fees are paid or tendered the witness in advance. Id. Lopez-Solis' argument that section 357.22 limits expert travel costs to mileage within the state is misplaced. An award of expert witness fees is discretionary with the trial court and will be reversed only where there is an abuse of discretion. See Carpenter v. Mattison, 300 Minn. 273, 280, 219 N.W.2d 625, 631 (1974). Section 357.25 is the controlling statute regarding the award of costs and fees associated with an expert's preparation for and testimony at trial, and the legislature afforded trial courts discretion in determining what fees are just and reasonable. Minn.Stat. § 357.25. The trial court was within its discretion in awarding travel costs of $1,168.60 for the toxicologist's travel. [5]