Opinion ID: 1834335
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: whether the trial court erred in refusing to tax as a disbursement the fees of tobin's expert witness in excess of the statutory rate.

Text: We have previously stated that in the absence of some clear reference to expert witness fees being treated different from statutory witness fees, the reformed legislation [SDCL 15-17-37] falls short of the mark. To hold otherwise would be to allow something other than the plain meaning of the words. Nelson v. Nelson Cattle Co., 513 N.W.2d 900, 907 (S.D.1994). The trial court did not err in taxing the witness fee at the statutory rate versus the fee charged by the expert of $4,939.59. The case is affirmed, in part, and reversed and remanded in part for entry of a judgment consistent with this opinion. MILLER, C.J., and HENDERSON, Retired J., concur. SABERS, and AMUNDSON, JJ., dissent. KONENKAMP, J., not having been a member of the Court at the time this action was submitted, did not participate. FITZGERALD, Circuit Judge, for WUEST, J., disqualified.