Opinion ID: 1219144
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Whether the Special Nature of Water Adjudication Proceedings Precludes the Award of Fees and Expenses Incident to Dismissal of the Tributary Claim

Text: AWDI also contends that the condition concerning payment of fees and expenses that was included in the court's C.R.C.P. 41(a)(2) order of dismissal of the tributary claim fails to take account of and is inconsistent with the unique nature of water right adjudication. We disagree. AWDI notes that, unlike typical civil cases, once an application for determination of a water right or a right to nontributary ground water is filed, any person who wishes may file a statement of opposition, without complying with traditional standing requirements. See § 37-92-302(1)(b), 15 C.R.S. (1990); Bunger v. Uncompahgre Valley Water Users Ass'n, 192 Colo. 159, 165, 557 P.2d 389, 392 (1976). Thus, an applicant has no control over the number of objectors who participate in an action, or the fees and expenses they may generate. AWDI asserts that for this reason the imposition of fees and expenses in a water case can quickly become unfairly burdensome on the applicant. Every potential applicant, regardless of financial resources, would have to consider the possibility of future payment of objectors' fees and expenses in the event the applicant should later wish to dismiss its application. AWDI asserts that Colorado Uniform Water Court Rule 5(b) [42] reflects this distinction between water court proceedings and other civil actions in its provision for voluntary dismissals. Rule 5(b) requires court approval for withdrawal of a water rights application if a statement of opposition has been filed, but makes no provision for the imposition of terms and conditions. A note at the beginning of the Uniform Local Rules For All State Water Court Divisions provides in relevant part, [e]xcept as expressly provided in these rules, the Colorado Rules of Civil Procedure ... shall apply to water court practice and procedure. Rule 5(b) contains no indication that C.R.C.P. 41 is not fully applicable to water cases. The fact that the number of objectors who need protection from prejudice by terms and conditions in an order of voluntary dismissal is large provides no persuasive reason to permit an applicant to obtain dismissal of a claim without providing such protection. We reject the contention that C.R.C.P. 41(a)(2) does not apply to water right adjudications.
AWDI asserts that even if the trial court could award fees and expenses as a condition of voluntary dismissal of a claim, the court erred by employing an incorrect standard in determining the extent to which the fees and expenses are allowable. Furthermore, AWDI contends, evidence adduced in support of the amounts assessed was legally insufficient.
We first address whether the court used the correct standard in determining attorney fees and expenses. AWDI argues that the trial court did not properly limit the award to those fees and expenses for activities that were rendered useless by the dismissal. Such a criterion, it contends, is the correct standard for assessing the limits of a permissible award of fees and expenses incident to a voluntary dismissal under C.R.C.P. 41(a)(2). Tillery contains some guidance concerning the proper standard: The district court could require the costs and fees to be reimbursed as a condition of granting the motion to dismiss, although consideration should be given to the fact that the defendants may recoup some of the fees if they prepare an answer to the petitioner's complaint in federal court. Tillery, 692 P.2d at 1085. Because C.R.C.P. 41(a)(2) is identical to the corresponding federal rule and the rules adopted by several other states, Tillery, 692 P.2d at 1084, it will also be helpful to look to the standards applied in cases outside this jurisdiction for guidance. Federal courts have consistently limited reimbursement under Fed.R.Civ.P. 41(a)(2) to expenses for work that will not be useful in future litigation of the same claim. Lau v. Glendora Unified School District, 792 F.2d 929, 932 (9th Cir.1986) (Reinhardt, J., concurring) (defendant not entitled to reimbursement of costs and legal fees incurred in preparing work product that may be useful in continuing litigation); McCants v. Ford Motor Co., Inc., 781 F.2d 855, 860 (11th Cir.1986) (where a subsequent similar suit between the parties is contemplated, expenses awarded might be limited to those incurred in discovering information that will not be useful in the later suit); Cauley, 754 F.2d at 772 (trial court found to have abused its discretion in awarding fees for work product which could be useful in defending same claim in state court where claim was being pursued); McLaughlin v. Cheshire, 676 F.2d 855, 856-57 (D.C.Cir.1982) (no entitlement to reimbursement for expenses in preparing work product that will be useful in continuing litigation in another forum); GAF Corp., 665 F.2d at 369 (same); Brown v. Zackert, 10 Kan.App.2d 466, 701 P.2d 711, 714 (1985) (while the conditions of dismissal are within the discretion of the court, the range of that discretion is confined to terms which relieve the defendant from the potential waste occasioned by the dismissal). These cases are consistent with Tillery and provide helpful elaboration of the standard that we suggested in that case. AWDI asserts that the trial court failed to apply this standard in the present case. In issuing the payment order, the trial court noted that dismissal of the tributary claim had previously been conditioned on the applicant's payment to the objectors of all of their attorney fees, expert witness fees, costs, fees, and other expenses related to the tributary claim. AWDI contends that the words related to sweep too broadly and asserts that this language is evidence that the trial court improperly ordered the payment to the objectors of all expenses having anything to do with the tributary claim, including those incident to gathering information also useful in litigating the nontributary claim or that could be used against AWDI in future litigation of the tributary claim. The remainder of the trial court's order, however, indicates that the court properly considered the danger of overlap with the nontributary claim and the possibility that work expended on the tributary claim would be useful in future litigation of the latter claim. The court rejected the possibility that work devoted to the tributary claim would be useful in future litigation of that claim, stating: Depending on when a new tributary claim may be filed, much of the material discovered by Objectors prior to September 1991 will be outdated, if not useless, in any hearing concerning a new tributary claim. Any benefit from this earlier discovery is speculative at best. In addition, the trial court expressly recognized the necessity of avoiding reimbursement of expenses incurred in gathering information useful in litigation of the nontributary claim. Out of concern about the possibility of overlap, among other things, the court discounted the award of attorney fees and expense claims by ten percent. Other than the court's use of the phrase related to the tributary claim, AWDI offers no support for its contention that the trial court failed to apply the proper standard limiting its award of attorney fees and costs under Rule 41(a)(2) to expenses for work that it determined was not useful in defending against the nontributary claim or would not be of use in future litigation of a renewed tributary claim. We reject the contention that the trial court used the wrong standard in awarding fees and expenses.
AWDI asserts that even if the court used the proper standard, the evidence was insufficient to identify the fees and expenses incurred for work useful only on the tributary claim, failed to establish that the scope of the work on that claim was reasonable, and failed to show the reasonableness of the amounts charged for such work. We disagree with each of these assertions.
AWDI as well as the objectors understood that determining an appropriate award might be difficult due to the possibility of overlap between the work performed and information gathered by the objectors to defend against the nontributary claim which went to trial and the efforts directed to defend against the tributary claim which was dismissed. This difficulty occurred in part because until AWDI unexpectedly moved to dismiss the tributary claim, the objectors had no reason to distinguish carefully between the two claims in maintaining their records of work performed and expenses incurred. The party requesting an award of attorney fees bears the burden of proving by a preponderance of the evidence its entitlement to such an award. Kinsey v. Preeson, 746 P.2d 542, 551-52 (Colo.1987) (citing Board of County Comm'rs v. Auslaender, 745 P.2d 999, 1001-02 (Colo.1987)); see § 13-25-127, 6A C.R.S. (1987) (burden of proof in any civil action, except claim for exemplary damages or body execution, shall be by a preponderance of the evidence); Spensieri v. Farmers Alliance Mutual Ins. Co., 804 P.2d 268, 271 (Colo.App.1990) (If the attorney provides a reason and rational basis for the work done, he or she should be compensated accordingly....); see also Blum v. Stenson, 465 U.S. 886, 897, 104 S.Ct. 1541, 1548, 79 L.Ed.2d 891 (1984) (when the fee claimant has carried his burden of showing that the claimed rate and number of hours are reasonable, the product is presumed to be the reasonable fee contemplated by 42 U.S.C. § 1988). Counsel is not required to record in great detail how each minute of his time was expended. But at least counsel should identify the general subject matter of his time expenditures. Hensley v. Eckerhart, 461 U.S. 424, 437 n. 12, 103 S.Ct. 1933, 1941 n. 12, 76 L.Ed.2d 40 (1983). This was done. In this case the objectors' attorneys introduced time records kept contemporaneously with work done. The extent of the information varied, and the records kept by the private attorneys were generally more detailed than those of the government attorneys, but all included the date, the attorney, the time expended, and a general statement of work done. [43] In addition, attorneys for the objectors testified as to the manner in which they allocated fees and expenses between the tributary and nontributary issues for the purpose of their claims under C.R.C.P. 41(a)(2). For instance, the lead attorney for the United States testified that virtually all of his time was devoted to the tributary claim, but we decided to make the figure 85 percent, which is, I think, a very conservative estimate. The attorney for Oliver Powell Roemer III and Howard Platz testified that the concerns of both of those clients were limited to the tributary claim. He averred, By definition, if the water was nontributary, it could not affect their water rights. Only tributary claims could affect their water rights. Accordingly, the fees and expenses incurred on behalf of those clients were limited to the tributary claim. In response to AWDI's assertion that the objectors' work defending against the tributary claim must have been used in litigating the nontributary claim, an attorney for Rio Grande Water Users Association and San Luis Valley Water Conservancy District stated: There's a big difference between trying a tributary claim and a nontributary claim. In a nontributary claim, all you've got to show is impact on any stream of one-tenth of 1 percent. In a tributary claim, you've got to know which stream systems are impacted and what amounts with a good deal of greater precision.... This attorney also testified, [Y]ou spend a lot of time on a whole broad range of issues related toon a tributary case that would never come up in a nontributary setting. In order to allocate accurately the time spent on each claim, this counsel reviewed all of his firm's billing statements, covering attorney fees and expenses, and went through line by line, item by item, for every month and every year since the inception of this litigation and made a determination of what time I felt was fairly attributable to our work on the tributary claim and excluded all remaining time and used that to come up with a total number of hours and a total amount of expenses. As a result of this review, he determined that fifty-eight percent of the attorney fees was attributable to the tributary claim. The attorney for Rio Grande Water Conservation District testified that he too went through the bills submitted by his firm to the District from 1987 through 1991 in order to identify those attorney fees and expenses related to the tributary claim. Expert witness fees and expenses were allocated in a similar fashion. The objectors' attorneys testified that those experts involved in aspects of both the tributary and the nontributary claims were asked to itemize their monthly bills and provide a breakdown of costs they considered attributable to the tributary and nontributary claims, and that they did so. In most instances, documents in the form of letters, bills, and/or affidavits from expert witnesses were admitted to support the attorney testimony. Although all these allocations were made after the fact, they nonetheless provide support for the court's award determinations. The trial court was provided with an adequate evidentiary basis to find as it did that the objectors' allocations were adequate. The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, in a case involving an application for attorney fees and costs under the Civil Rights Attorney's Fees Award Act, recognized: [S]ome lawyers will not have kept contemporaneous time records. We do not forbid, retrospectively, the use of reconstructed time records and do not demand that the reconstructed hours be arbitrarily reduced. Ramos v. Lamm, 713 F.2d 546, 553 n. 2 (10th Cir.1983). In a number of other cases as well, reconstructed time records have been held adequate to establish time expended. See Pawlak v. Greenawalt, 713 F.2d 972, 978 (3d Cir.), cert. denied, 464 U.S. 1042, 104 S.Ct. 707, 79 L.Ed.2d 172 (1984); Bonnette v. California Health & Welfare Agency, 704 F.2d 1465, 1473 (9th Cir.1983); Johnson v. University College, 706 F.2d 1205, 1207 (11th Cir.1983), cert. denied, 464 U.S. 994, 104 S.Ct. 489, 78 L.Ed.2d 684 (1983); Weber v. Weinberger, 651 F.Supp. 1379, 1393 (W.D.Mich.1987). Here, the contemporaneous time records existed and were presented to the court; only the relevant allocations had to be supplied in part by estimates. None of the objectors realized at the time the records were kept that AWDI would later be required to pay the attorney fees and expenses and that division by issue would be necessary, and AWDI claims no bad faith on the part of the objectors in this case. It is elementary that the trier of fact can look to either testimony or exhibits which have been admitted into evidence for the facts upon which to base his decision. Hartman v. Freedman, 197 Colo. 275, 280, 591 P.2d 1318, 1321 (Colo.1979). Based on our own review of the record, we conclude that the evidence, including billing records and testimony concerning allocation of time and expenses, was sufficient to permit the trial court, applying the proper standard, to allocate fees and expenses between those that were allowable and those that were not. We therefore sustain the trial court's allocation.
AWDI contends that some of the attorney fees and expenses incurred by the objectors and attributable to the defense of the tributary claim were unnecessary or excessive. As principal support for that contention, it presented the testimony of two experienced natural resource attorneys at the fees hearing. The first expressed the opinion that some of the matters the objectors investigated, in particular the issue of potential injury to vested water rights, should have been deferred until after the court determined whether the water was tributary. Furthermore, in that expert's opinion, the objectors are not entitled to recover any costs of initiated discovery. He asserted that because the burden of proving absence of injury and sufficiency of water supply is on the applicant, the objectors' role is simply to stand back and take issue with what an applicant has presented, or request more information. Accordingly, any investigation beyond this would be inappropriate or a luxury and should not be the subject of compensation. The trial court, however, did not accept this view of the scope of activity reasonably to be conducted by objectors to an application for determination of water rights. The trial court properly rejected this passive model of an objector's role, pointing out the need for evidence from both sides in order to arrive at a correct resolution and the practical need or advantage for an objector to resist an adjudication of a water right in the first instance by demonstrating that an applicant cannot satisfy the criteria for establishment of such a right. AWDI's second expert witness on the excessive scope issue asserted that the amount of fees and expenses to be reimbursed should be reduced because the objectors failed to mitigate those fees and expenses. He contended that the objectors realized early in the litigation that no water contracts had been entered into between AWDI and any prospective beneficial users of the water. According to that expert, because such a defect is fatal to the application for determination of a tributary water right in this case, [44] the objectors should have moved for summary judgment on the tributary claim, and they should not now be compensated for the unnecessary fees and expenses incurred subsequent to the date at which this motion should have been made. The water contracts issue, however, was not relevant to some of the beneficial uses claimed by AWDI. [45] The trial court considered the expert's opinion and in its written order for attorney fees and expenses specifically found that there would have been genuine material fact [sic] at issue that would have required the Court to deny a motion for partial summary judgment on the tributary claim. [46] On this record, we cannot say that the objectors incurred unnecessary expenses because they did not seek partial summary judgment on the tributary claim. Lastly, AWDI contends that the number of experts hired by the objectors to analyze and review the State's ground water computer modeling was excessive and therefore wasteful. Based upon our review of the record of the fees hearing, we are satisfied that the trial judge adequately considered the reasonableness and the necessity of the services provided by those experts. For the foregoing reasons, and because our own review of the record discloses no suggestion that the objectors sought recovery for work not necessary to their defenses, we affirm the trial court's rejection of AWDI's arguments that the objectors incurred unnecessary fees and expenses by reason of the scope of their efforts in defending against the tributary claim.
The United States Supreme Court has stated that while `there is no precise rule or formula' for determining attorney's fees, Evans v. Jeff D., 475 U.S. 717, 735-36, 106 S.Ct. 1531, 1542, 89 L.Ed.2d 747 (1986) (quoting Hensley, 461 U.S. at 436, 103 S.Ct. at 1941), the proper starting point for determining the amount of a reasonable fee is the number of hours reasonably expended on the litigation multiplied by a reasonable hourly rate. Hensley, 461 U.S. at 433, 103 S.Ct. at 1939 (considering fee to be awarded under 42 U.S.C. § 1988); accord Ramos, 713 F.2d at 552 (same); Spensieri, 804 P.2d at 270 (estimate of a reasonable attorney fee involves a calculation of the lodestar amount, which represents the number of hours reasonably expended multiplied by a reasonable hourly rate); see Man v. E.P.H. Corp., 638 P.2d 777 (Colo.1981). AWDI has not challenged the amount of time spent by attorneys for the objectors on particular tasks as excessive. Instead, it has contended that the usefulness of the tasks themselves was not limited to the tributary claim and that the scope of the work performed was not reasonable. These objections were rejected earlier in the immediately preceding sections of this opinion. AWDI also has not objected to the reasonableness of the hourly rate charged by attorneys from private law firms. It has stipulated that $100 per hour, the rate charged, was a reasonable rate for those attorneys. Nor has AWDI objected to the rates charged by lawyers for the United States, who were on the staff of the United States attorney. AWDI does object to the rates at which the State's attorneys, who were on the staff of the State attorney general, billed their time. The State claimed, and the court awarded, $100 per hour for attorney time and $50 per hour for the time of legal assistants. AWDI objects to this award because the interdepartmental billings for services of attorneys and legal assistants on the staff of the State attorney general at the relevant time were based on hourly rates of $40.75 and $27.44 respectively. AWDI argues that the state employees cannot be awarded more than these hourly rates. We disagree. Rule 41(a)(2) expressly gives the court power to grant a motion for dismissal under the rule upon such terms and conditions as the court deems proper. Thus, determination of the terms and conditions of dismissal under 41(a)(2) is discretionary with the trial court and will not be disturbed on review absent an abuse of that discretion. Stevedoring Servs. of America v. Armilla Int'l, 889 F.2d 919, 921 (9th Cir.1989); Moore v. C.R. Anthony Co., 198 F.2d 607, 608 (10th Cir. 1952); Bishop v. W. American Ins. Co., 95 F.R.D. 494, 495 (N.D.Ga.1982); see American Cyanamid Co. v. McGhee, 317 F.2d 295, 298 (5th Cir.1963) (trial court has discretion to impose terms and conditions); see also Powers, 832 P.2d at 1102. Typically, courts impose as a term and condition of dismissal a requirement that the plaintiff pay the defendant the expenses incurred in defending the suit, which usually include reasonable attorney fees. Marlow v. Winston & Strawn, 19 F.3d 300 (7th Cir.1994); Mortgage Guaranty, 904 F.2d at 300; LeCompte, 528 F.2d at 603; Bath Iron Works Corp. v. Parmatic Filter Corp., 736 F.Supp. 1175, 1178 (D.Me.1990). The award of attorney fees must be reasonable, and [t]he determination of reasonableness is a question of fact for the trial court and will not be disturbed on review unless it is patently erroneous and unsupported by the evidence. Hartman v. Freedman, 197 Colo. 275, 281, 591 P.2d 1318, 1322 (1979) (fees awarded pursuant to § 8-4-114, C.R.S. (1973)); accord Rifkin v. Steele Piatt, 824 P.2d 32, 35 (Colo.App.1991); Spensieri, 804 P.2d at 270; Greeley Nat'l Bank v. Sloan, 677 P.2d 409, 412 (Colo.App.1983). The trial judge considered the reasonableness of fees issue and expressly determined that [one] hundred dollars an hour by water lawyers... is an extremely minimum rate and eminently reasonable, whether it be in the public or the private sector. We have previously held that attorneys are entitled to an award of reasonable attorney fees at market rates for attorneys of comparable skill, experience and reputation: [47] If the fee requested is reasonable in light of community standards and the other criteria to be considered by the court, it is not appropriate for a court to take into consideration what a major client may pay the attorney on an hourly basis or the possible absence of overhead expenses comparable to those borne by lawyers in private practice. Mau, 638 P.2d at 780 (attorney fees awarded to tenant's attorney pursuant to section 38-12-103(3)(a), 16A C.R.S. (1973) (citation omitted)); see also Spensieri, 804 P.2d at 271 (The criterion for the court is not what the parties agreed, but what reflects reasonable value for services rendered.). Numerous other courts have held that fees awarded are to be based on reasonable billing rates in the relevant community, not net hourly earnings. Hamilton v. Daley, 777 F.2d 1207 (7th Cir.1985) (fees awarded to government attorneys defending against frivolous civil rights suit; fact that attorneys are public servants who will not personally receive any fees awarded makes no difference). [48] Therefore, we find that the hourly rate awarded to the State of Colorado for attorney fees and paralegal services was not an abuse of discretion. AWDI also contends that the amounts allowed for expert witnesses and consultants were unreasonable or unsubstantiated. AWDI points to no particular bills as unreasonable in amount. The objectors documented these fees with billing records, expert testimony summaries, and testimony by attorneys and state personnel as to the nature of the work performed, the method of allocation of expenses between the tributary and nontributary claims, and the reasonableness of the fees charged. There was evidence, although general in nature, that the fees were reasonable for the services performed. The trial court did not simply award to the objectors all attorney fees and expenses requested. Instead, it examined the claims made and assessed the reasonableness and substantiation given for the claims. The trial judge disallowed: (1) the state's claim for reimbursement of $9,000 for court reporter fees; its claim of $173,818 for compensation for nonlegal employees of the Division of Wildlife and the State and Division Engineers' Offices; and its claim of $1300 for a bat detector; (2) the unsubstantiated or unverified claims of Cotton Creek Ranch, Dennis Felmlee and Timothy Lovato; (3) compensation for time and attorney fees spent post-trial in preparing the fee application; and (4) certain room and board expenses. In addition, the trial court, out of an abundance of caution and so as to preclude any concerns about vagueness, overlap, possible redundancy or questionable expense, discounted the attorney fee and expense claims under Rule 41(a)(2) by ten percent. In similar cases with voluminous fee applications, courts have recognized that it is unrealistic to expect a trial judge to evaluate and rule on every entry in an application. See Copeland v. Marshall, 641 F.2d 880, 903 (D.C.Cir.1980) (en banc) (22% cut); Ross v. Saltmarsh, 521 F.Supp. 753, 761-62 (S.D.N.Y.1981) (5% and 10% cuts), aff'd mem., 688 F.2d 816 (2d Cir.1982); Kane v. Martin Paint Stores, Inc., 439 F.Supp. 1054, 1056 (S.D.N.Y.1977) (10% cut), aff'd mem., 578 F.2d 1368 (2d Cir. 1978). These courts have endorsed percentage cuts as a practical means of trimming fat from a fee application. New York Ass'n for Retarded Children v. Carey, 711 F.2d 1136 (2d Cir.1983). We sustain the trial court's determination of the amounts to be awarded for attorney fees and expenses attributable to defenses of the tributary claim.
The trial judge concluded that most of the attorney fees and expenses incurred by the objectors in defending the tributary claim were both necessary and reasonable. Having participated in each stage of the proceeding, the trial judge was capable of understanding what was reasonably expended in attorney fees. San Juan Products, Inc. v. San Juan Pools of Kansas, Inc., 849 F.2d 468, 476 (10th Cir.1988); see also Mares v. Credit Bureau of Raton, 801 F.2d 1197, 1201 (10th Cir.1986) (since the trial court saw attorney's work first hand, it has far better means of knowing what is just and reasonable than does the appellate court). It also heard the testimony of expert witnesses, and was familiar with much of their work product in the form of exhibits. A determination of reasonableness is a question of fact for the trial court and will not be disturbed on review unless it is patently erroneous and unsupported by the evidence.' If ... the statute pursuant to which an award of attorney fees is made, does not provide a specific definition of `reasonable,' then such compensation should be determined in light of all circumstances for the time and effort reasonably expended by the prevailing party's attorney. Spensieri, 804 P.2d at 270 (citations omitted). The trial judge made findings and conclusions to support his determinations. The attorneys for the objectors testified that they coordinated efforts among themselves so as to minimize duplication of effort and expenses. The trial judge found that they were very careful to minimize expenses and eliminate duplication of effort. The trial court also found that many of the early expenses incurred by the objectors were the result of AWDI's failure of timely and complete compliance with discovery requests. All these findings, though general, are sufficient and supported by the record. We conclude that AWDI's challenge to the amount of attorney fees, expenses, and costs awarded as a condition to voluntary dismissal of the tributary claim under C.R.C.P. 41(a)(2) must fail.
AWDI also challenges the amount of costs awarded to the objectors under C.R.C.P. 54(d), taking issue with the sufficiency of the evidence and the judge's findings, and asserting abuse of discretion in setting the amount of the award. C.R.C.P. 54(d) provides, costs shall be allowed as of course to the prevailing party unless the court otherwise directs.... Section 13-16-122 lists those items includable as costs. [49] The objectors submitted bills of costs under C.R.C.P. 54(d) of $473,091.31 for costs related to the nontributary claim, and the trial court awarded that entire amount. The principal costs claimed under Rule 54(d) were for expert witness fees. [C]harges for expert witnesses approved pursuant to section 13-33-102(4) are expressely allowed as costs under section 13-16-122(1)(e). Section 13-33-102(4), 6A C.R.S. (1987), provides: Witnesses in courts of record called to testify only to an opinion founded on special study or experience in any branch of science or to make scientific or professional examinations and state the result thereof shall receive additional compensation, to be fixed by the court, with reference to the value of the time employed and the degree of learning or skill required. Rio Grande Water Conservation District claimed $257,227.00 in expert witness fees, the United States claimed $126,640.13, and the State claimed $65,810.94. AWDI contends that the award of these fees was improper because there was no evidence of the reasonableness or necessity of the work or the expert testimony. This is not so. AWDI presented a set of expert witnesses who offered opinions, supplemented by numerous exhibits, concerning the complex geologic and hydrologic features of the San Luis Valley, including the movement of underground water, and the effect of pumping underground water on surface streams and waters tributary thereto. This testimony was complemented by a computer model, and expert testimony was offered concerning the design, operation, and results achieved by use of the model. All of this evidence was offered in support of AWDI's claim that the withdrawal of underground water in the quantities sought in its amended application would not produce effects inconsistent with the classification of the water as nontributary under the statutory definition in section 37-90-103(10.5) 15 C.R.S. (1990). In response to this evidence, the objectors introduced experts and a computer model developed by the State in an effort to discredit the picture of the geologic and hydrologic characteristics of the Valley drawn by AWDI's experts and the validity of AWDI's computer analysis, all directed to showing that the statutory test for nontributariness was not satisfied. The evidence was highly technical and in many instances sharply conflicting. Ultimately, the trial judge concluded that AWDI had not successfully established that the test for nontributariness had been met. The judge was present at the trial and therefore could evaluate first hand the necessity of each witness's testimony. See Leadville Water Co. v. Parkville Water Dist., 164 Colo. 362, 367, 436 P.2d 659, 661 (1967). Furthermore, during the three day evidentiary hearing, billing statements and testimony were offered to demonstrate that the witness fees requested were both necessary and reasonable. Because of the existence of all the above support, the Fenton case, relied upon by applicants for their contention that a claim for lump sum witness fees is improper, is inapposite. See Fenton v. Fibreboard Corp., 827 P.2d 564, 569 (Colo.App.1991) aff'd in part and rev'd in part on other grounds by Fibreboard Corp. v. Fenton, 845 P.2d 1168 (Colo.1993). The party requesting fees in Fenton provided no documentation indicating a reasonable basis upon which the sums requested were calculated, nor were the actual sums expended for the witnesses' services shown. Fenton, 827 P.2d at 569. Pursuant to section 13-33-102(4), 6A C.R.S. (1986), courts may grant witness fees to experts, testifying as such, in such amounts as they deem proper. Denver Joint Stock Land Bank v. Board of County Comm'rs, 105 Colo. 366, 372, 98 P.2d 283, 287 (1940); accord Lamont v. Riverside Irr. Dist., 179 Colo. 134, 142, 498 P.2d 1150, 1154 (1972) (assessment of expert witness fees is addressed to the sound discretion of the trial court) (1972); Leadville Water Co., 164 Colo. at 367, 436 P.2d at 661 (1967) (same). The court is authorized, in fixing an expert's fee, to consider not only the time spent in court but also the time spent by the expert in preparation for trial. Yeager Garden Acres, Inc. v. Summit Constr. Co., 32 Colo.App. 242, 245-46, 513 P.2d 458, 460 (1973). In addition, allowances awarded may include travel, ordinary witness fees, food, and lodging expenses. Leadville Water Co., 164 Colo. at 366, 436 P.2d at 661. The trial judge here determined that the entire amount requested by the objectors under Rule 54(d) should be awarded. This was not an abuse of discretion. The award was amply supported by billing statements and expert testimony summaries, as well as testimony concerning the nature and purpose of the services upon which the witness fees were based and the manner by which they were determined. When we have before us the finding of a trial judge who had the opportunity to evaluate the services of the experts based upon all the evidence before him and arrive at a fair conclusion of their reasonable worth, we do not interfere with his finding. Leadville Water Co., 164 Colo. at 367, 436 P.2d at 661. Some of the miscellaneous expenses that the court awarded as costs are not listed in section 13-16-122. AWDI asserts that any items not included within the definition of costs under that section or otherwise allowed by statute or rule may not be awarded, and insists that the trial court's award to the United States of $16,873.52 for setting up an office in Alamosa, including leasing office furniture and equipment, was therefore unauthorized. It also asserts that the court's award to the Rio Grande Water Users of $5,000 for photocopying expenses and $1,500 for postage, for messengers, for mileage, and telephone, was improper for the same reason. As to miscellaneous expenses, we have held that: The list of expenses that may be awarded as costs under section 13-16-122 ... is illustrative and not exclusive. Church v. American Standard Ins. Co. of Wisconsin, 764 P.2d 405, 406 (Colo.App.1988). In general, absent a specific prohibition, the trial court has discretion over the awarding of costs. Id.; see Rossmiller v. Romero, 625 P.2d 1029, 1030 (Colo.1981). Cherry Creek School District # 5 v. Voelker, 859 P.2d 805, 813 (Colo.1993) (quoting Ferrell v. Glenwood Brokers, Ltd., 848 P.2d 936, 940 (Colo.1993)). See also 6 James Wm. Moore et al., Moore's Federal Practice ¶ 54.70[5] (2d ed. 1993): In an action tried to the court, the court has a large discretion in admitting in evidence all pertinent matters which in the court's view would expedite the trial and which would give the court and the parties a clear conception of the points in issue; and may allow as costs the actual and reasonable expenses attendant thereto, although no express statutory enactment so provides. Given logistical difficulties presented by the location and duration of the trial and the extensiveness of the exhibits, we conclude the trial court was within its discretion in allowing costs to the United States for establishing a temporary office in Alamosa. We also affirm the award to Rio Grande Water Users for photocopying and other miscellaneous expenses. [50] In summary, we reject AWDI's challenges to the award of costs under C.R.C.P. 54(d).