Opinion ID: 1834360
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 12

Heading: Expert witness fees as costs.

Text: State Farm argues that the trial court erred in awarding expert witness fees as costs under SDCL 15-17-37, which provides: The prevailing party in a civil action or special proceeding may recover expenditures necessarily incurred in gathering and procuring evidence or bringing the matter to trial. Such expenditures include costs of telephonic hearings, costs of telephoto or fax charges, fees of witnesses, interpreters, translators, officers, printers, service of process, filing, expenses from telephone calls, copying, costs of original and copies of transcripts and reporter's attendance fees, court appointed experts and other similar expenses and charges. These expenditures are termed disbursements and are taxed pursuant to § 15-6-54(d). This court addressed expert witness fees under SDCL 15-17-37 in Nelson v. Nelson Cattle Company, 513 N.W.2d 900 (S.D.1994). According to Nelson, SDCL 15-17-37 does not allow the taxation of the compensation and expenses of expert witnesses in excess of the statutory witness fees provided in SDCL 19-5-1. Nelson, at 908. Nelson also stated, however, that SDCL 15-17-37 does not express any intent to be retroactive. Id. (citing SDCL 2-14-24). Isaac filed a Complaint on October 29, 1990. SDCL 15-17-37 was enacted in 1992 and became effective July 1, 1992. Therefore, because this case was commenced prior to the enactment of SDCL 15-17-37, [t]he trial court's taxation of disbursements for the compensation and expenses of expert witnesses in excess of the statutory witness fee is reversed and remanded for retaxation in accordance with SDCL 19-5-1. Id. See First Nat'l Bank of Minneapolis v. Kehn Ranch, Inc., 394 N.W.2d 709, 716 (S.D.1986). [12]