Court Opinion

ID: 9593183
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 00:20:24.854044+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:23:14.981491
License: Public Domain

HENDERSON, Justice
(concurring in part; dissenting in part).
I concur in the entirety of this opinion but dissent to the dissertation on costs (Issue 4).
If you multiply 1860 pages at 15$ per copy, you arrive at $279.00. Trial court mistakenly put down $202.51. The latter amount was the “Hearing transcript fee”; there is no doubt that the trial court decided that the transcript fee be awarded.
In my opinion, the trial court intended to award copying costs, also, because it said so: “Copying costs (1860 at .15 per copy)”; unfortunately, it inserted $202.51 (the deposition transcript fee) instead of $279.00 (the copying costs). It is one little error on costs and it should be corrected.
This Court is empowered under SDCL 15-26A-12 and SDCL 15-30-2 to “reverse, affirm, or modify the judgment” and “direct the entry of such judgment or order as the court deems required by the record ...” Hence, I would, regarding the costs, simply affirm the costs, with the exception of telephone costs which are not taxable, and modify the judgment of taxation of costs to insert $279.00 in the column as it clearly appears to me that it was the intention of the court to award copying costs and delete the $14.03 in “long distance telephone expense.” Thus, I would affirm and modify the judgment accordingly, thereby obviating the necessity of returning this case back to the trial court.