Opinion ID: 1037025
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Award for Costs

Text: Consumers asserts that the district court erred by awarding Waldo all of her requested costs, arguing that costs for focus groups, mock trials, jury-selection services, and mediation are non-recoverable, and that Waldo did not provide sufficient documentation regarding the reasonableness of the costs requested. See Appellant Br. at 60. Like an award of attorney fees, a district court’s award of costs under § 1988 is reviewed for an abuse of discretion. NE Ohio Coal. for the Homeless v. Sec’y of State, 695 F.3d 563, 569 (6th Cir. 2012). “The award of statutory costs is a matter for the district court, in its best judgment as to what was reasonable and necessary, and the appellate courts will not normally interfere with the exercise of that discretion.” Sigley v. Kuhn, 205 F.3d 1341, 2000 WL 145187, at  (6th Cir. 2000). Section 1988 permits district courts to award those “‘incidental and necessary expenses incurred in furnishing effective and competent representation’” as part of the award of attorney fees. Id. at  (quoting Northcross v. Bd. of Educ. of Memphis City Sch., 611 F.2d 624, 639 (6th Cir. 1979)). Recoverable out-of-pocket expenses are those “incurred by the attorney which are normally charged to a fee-paying client, in the course of providing legal services,” such as “[r]easonable photocopying, paralegal expenses, and travel and telephone costs.” Northcross, 611 F.2d at 639. Here, the district court acted within its discretion in finding that Waldo’s requested costs for focus groups, mock trials, jury-selection services, and mediation were reasonable and necessary to provide Waldo with effective representation, because such services “conferred a benefit to the prevailing party by helping to produce a favorable result.” See Sigley, 2000 WL 145187, at . The photocopying and telephone expenses also were awarded reasonably in the district court’s discretion. Accordingly, we affirm the district court’s award of costs to Waldo.