Opinion ID: 1406018
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: the judgment obtained

Text: Taylor-Ritchie argues that the $162,000.00 judgment it obtained against Wrangell and URS jointly and severally was more favorable than the joint and several settlement offer of $70,000.00, and hence an award of Rule 68 penal cost sanctions to URS was improper. It is important to note, however, that in addition to a $70,000.00 payment, Wrangell and URS's settlement offer included dismissal of Wrangell's counterclaim against Taylor-Ritchie. While the superior court awarded Taylor-Ritchie $162,000.00 in damages, the court also awarded Wrangell $223,700.00 in damages for Wrangell's counterclaim (later recomputed to equal $248,900.00). The court then offset the two recoveries to achieve a [n]et award to Wrangell of $61,700.00 (later $86,900.00). [3] A judgment requiring Taylor-Ritchie to pay $61,700.00 is clearly less favorable to Taylor-Ritchie than an offer from Wrangell and URS to pay Taylor-Ritchie $70,000.00, and to drop Wrangell's counterclaim. Therefore, the language of Rule 68 at the time of the judgment controls: If the judgment finally obtained by the offeree is not more favorable than the offer, the offeree must pay the costs incurred after the making of the offer.