Opinion ID: 2065993
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Subpoena Costs

Text: The trial court awarded $300 for the cost of subpoenas and service of process incurred in the trials of Lopez-Solis. [7] Lopez-Solis maintains that the legislature prohibited any such award when it enacted Minn.Stat. § 357.24 (1996), which provides: When a defendant is represented by a public defender or an attorney performing public defense work    neither the defendant nor the public defender shall be charged for any subpoena fees or for service of subpoenas by a public official. We read this provision to preclude the state from charging a defendant or the attorney representing the defendant for service of process or subpoenas incurred while defending criminal charges. Here, the state did not seek costs for subpoenas or service of process fees incurred by Lopez-Solis in putting on his defense. Instead, the state seeks reimbursement for expenses incurred by the prosecution. The civil disbursements statute expressly provides that fees and mileage paid for service of process by the sheriff or by a private person are recoverable. Minn. Stat. § 549.04. The trial court's imposition of $125 in costs is therefore affirmed.