Opinion ID: 2517252
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Did the District Court Err in Awarding Costs as a Matter of Right on Remand?

Text: For the remand proceedings, the district court awarded Mike costs in the sum of $2,590.46. That sum consisted of $2,000.00 for expert witness fees, $500.00 for the cost of exhibits, $30.83 for postage, and $59.63 for mileage. Ed challenges the entire award of costs on appeal. A prevailing party is entitled to recover as a matter of right [r]easonable expert witness fees for an expert who testifies at a deposition or at a trial of an action not to exceed the sum of $2,000 for each expert witness for all appearances. I.R.C.P. 54(d)(1)(C) 8. Mike's expert witness testified by affidavit, not in person. The issues are whether the two-day hearing regarding the amount of attorney fees was a trial as those words are used in the Rule and whether the Rule requires that the witness testify in person. The Rule provides for the award of expert witness fees for an expert witness who testifies at a trial, with a limit of $2,000 for all appearances. (Emphasis added.) That language indicates that the expert must testify in person at the trial. Although there are certainly good arguments as to why an expert witness who testifies by affidavit should be included in Rule 54(d)(1)(C) 8, doing so would require amending the language of the rule. Therefore, the district court erred in awarding Mike $2,000.00 in expert witness fees as costs as a matter of right. A prevailing party is entitled to recover as a matter of right the [r]easonable costs of the preparation of . . . exhibits admitted in evidence as exhibits in a hearing or trial of an action, but not to exceed the sum of $500 for all of such exhibits of each party. I.R.C.P. 54(d)(1)(C) 6. In his memorandum of costs, Mike sought $507.96 as copying costs. The district court awarded $500 of that sum as the cost of exhibits admitted into evidence during the hearing. Mike admits on appeal, however, that there is nothing in the record showing what portion, if any, of the $507.96 was incurred to create the exhibits admitted during the hearing. Therefore, the district court erred in making this award of costs. Perry v. Magic Valley Reg'l Med. Ctr., 134 Idaho 46, 59-60, 995 P.2d 816, 829-30 (2000). A prevailing party can be awarded discretionary costs if the trial court finds that they were necessary and exceptional costs reasonably incurred that in the interest of justice should be assessed against the adverse party. I.R.C.P. 54(d)(1)(D). The district court awarded Mike discretionary costs in the sum of $30.83 for postage and $59.63 for mileage. The court found that these sums were necessary and reasonably incurred, that they were exceptional in that they were due to Ed's continuous objections to the award of attorney fees, and that in the interest of justice they should be assessed against Ed. Ed has not shown that the district court abused its discretion in making this award.