Opinion ID: 1939283
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Award of Interest and Costs

Text: After the Superior Court adopted the referee's recommendations, Cercena and Cohen submitted a bill of costs and a statement of prejudgment interest. They also moved that the court amend the judgment so that the purchase price on the equitable partition would reflect the costs and interest. The court awarded Cercena and Cohen their costs and interest and granted their motion to amend. Contrary to Cote's contentions, we agree that the court acted properly in amending its award, except in one minor respect on prejudgment interest. Pursuant to 14 M.R.S.A. §§ 1501-1509 (1980), certain costs are automatically awarded to prevailing parties in civil actions unless the court otherwise specifically directs. There can be no doubt that Cercena and Cohen are the prevailing parties in this case and that they submitted ample evidence to support their costs. See Dodge v. United Servs. Auto. Ass'n, 417 A.2d 969, 975 (Me.1980) (court to use functional test for determining who is the prevailing party under 14 M.R.S.A. § 1501). Prejudgment interest is also controlled by statute. See 14 M.R.S.A. § 1602 (Supp. 1989). Section 1602 states the general rule: prejudgment interest shall accrue from the date on which the complaint is filed. Id. With the minor exceptions soon to be noted, all of the monetary recovery by Cercena and Cohen was granted either on claims set forth in the original complaint or on claims in the amended complaint that relate back to the original filing date pursuant to M.R.Civ.P. 15(c). The minor exceptions are the awards of $3,000 apiece to Cercena and Cohen for interest due in June 1987 and 1988 and of $867 to Cercena for reimbursement of real estate taxes he paid sometime after the original complaint. By consent those claims were tried in effect as supplemental pleadings under M.R.Civ.P. 15(d). We remand for the Superior Court to modify its computation of prejudgment interest to start the running of such interest on those sums on the dates on which they respectively became due and payable. The entry is: Judgment affirmed, except as to computation of prejudgment interest on Count VIII of the complaint. Remanded for recomputation of that interest in accordance with the opinion herein. All concurring.