Opinion ID: 1651154
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Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Taxation of Jury and Court Reporter Fees.

Text: Iowa Code section 625.8(1) provides that [t]he clerk of the district court shall tax as a court cost a jury fee of one hundred dollars in every action tried to a jury. Iowa Code section 625.8(2) provides that [t]he clerk of the district court shall tax as a court cost a fee of fifteen dollars per day for the services of a court reporter. The clerk of the district court taxed each defendant $100 as a jury fee and $150 as a court reporter fee. (Because a court reporter was needed for the eight-day trial and two additional hearings, the court reporter fee amounted to $150.) The defendants contend the clerk should have apportioned the $100 jury fee among the thirteen defendants requiring each defendant to pay 1/13 of the fee or $7.69. The defendants contend that the clerk should also have apportioned the $150 court reporter fee among the thirteen defendants requiring each defendant to pay 1/13 of the fee or $11.54. Not surprisingly, the State disagrees. The State notes that the words every action in the jury fee statute supports the district court's ruling that the clerk committed no error in taxing a jury fee of $100 against each defendant. See Iowa Code § 625.8(1). Action, the State asserts, is defined as any judicial proceeding, which, if conducted to a determination, will result in a judgment or decree. Black's Law Dictionary 31 (8th ed.2004). In this case, the State argues, thirteen judgments of guilty were entered as a result of thirteen actions tried to a jury; the clerk accordingly taxed court costs for each judgment entered. The State relies on the same reasoning to support the district court ruling that the clerk committed no error in taxing a court reporter fee of $15 per day against each defendant for each of the hearings. This court has long been committed to the rule that costs are not apportioned in criminal cases. See, e.g., City of Cedar Rapids v. Linn County, 267 N.W.2d 673, 674 (Iowa 1978); State v. Belle, 92 Iowa 258, 260-61, 60 N.W. 525, 526 (1894); State v. Verwayne, 44 Iowa 621, 621 (1876). In Belle, this court held that the predecessor statutes to what are now Iowa Code sections 625.1 (costs recoverable by the successful party against the losing party), 625.3 (court can make an equitable apportionment of costs when a party is successful on part of the party's demand), and 625.4 (apportionment among numerous parties) do not apply to criminal prosecutions. See City of Cedar Rapids, 267 N.W.2d at 674 (citing Belle, 92 Iowa at 260, 60 N.W. at 526, for this proposition). In reaching its conclusion, the court in Belle reasoned as follows: It seems to us clear from the language of these sections that they do not apply to criminal prosecutions. In criminal prosecutions the party is successful as to all or as to no part of his demand, the demand upon the one hand being guilty, and upon the other, innocent. Though there may be several defendants and several judgments, there can be but one plaintiff; and, where there are several defendants and several judgments, the costs follow the judgment without apportionment. 92 Iowa at 260-61, 60 N.W. at 526 (reversing district court's apportionment of court costs among the defendant, the county, and the state and taxing all of the costs to the defendant in a murder case; the district court had apportioned the costs because the jury found defendant guilty of a lesser included offense). We adopt the rule that costs are to be taxed by the case, that is, one fee for each case. Such a rule is in harmony with the jury and court reporter fee statutes and the no apportionment rule. The rule makes sense because each defendant here had a case file with a separate case number and each had a case presented to the jury for which a court reporter was used. It was necessary for the prosecution to present evidence specific to each defendant to prove the charge against each defendant. Viewed in this manner, the rule also eliminates the defendants' objection that the clerk here was trying to recover multiple times for the same costs. Accordingly, we conclude each defendant was properly taxed a jury fee of $100 for his or her case and a court reporter fee of $15 per day except as to the indigent defendants, as we discuss later in this opinion.