Opinion ID: 2599393
Heading Depth: 5
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Messenger services

Text: Defendants first challenge the circuit court's award of $1,125.00 for what Buscher labeled messenger services, for FedEx and CitiExpress charges. Defendants contend that Buscher is not entitled to the award because she failed to provide any explanation for why express service was necessary or reasonable. Moreover, there was no justification or support provided for why [Buscher] is entitled to this. Messenger service is an expensive luxury which would be unnecessary with proper time management and scheduling to avoid the need for express services. Because there is a presumption that the prevailing party may be awarded its costs, the burden of showing that a particular cost request is unreasonable is more properly on the adverse party. Wong, 88 Hawai'i at 53, 961 P.2d at 618. Thus, it was Defendants' burden to show why the expenses were unreasonable. With respect to messenger services, the ICA in Kikuchi held that such fees are generally not taxable costs. 110 Hawai'i at 212-13, 130 P.3d at 1077-78. As the ICA explained therein, except in the rare circumstance where the need in a particular case is extraordinary in its volume or nature, the cost of this function . . . is properly treated as overhead. Id. at 213, 130 P.3d at 1078. In this case, Buscher's attorneys were on O`ahu, while the case was being tried in the third circuit (Kona Division) on the island of Hawai'i Buscher avers that the costs requested were for delivery of various pleadings to the third circuit court. Buscher provided itemized invoices detailing the date and place of delivery, a description of the documents delivered ( e.g., motions, memoranda, exhibits, subpoenas, etc.), and the cost of each delivery. Despite having this detailed information, Defendants do not provide any evidence that any specific delivery costs were unnecessary or unreasonable. Thus, while messenger services may generally not constitute a taxable cost, it would be reasonable for the circuit court to have allowed a portion of this cost for the expense of mailing the numerous filings from O`ahu to Hawai`i. See HRS § 607-9 (All actual disbursements, including but not limited to, . . . postage, sworn to by an attorney or a party, and deemed reasonable by the court, may be allowed in taxation of costs.). We further note that the circuit court reduced Buscher's requested messenger service costs from $2,606.88 to $1,125.00. We therefore hold that the circuit court did not abuse its discretion in awarding Buscher $1,125.00 of her requested costs.