Court Opinion

ID: 9744535
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 22:05:28.985004+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:24:59.928009
License: Public Domain

AISO, J. pro tem.*
I concur in the judgment and the supportive conclusions of law reached by Justice Stephens in the principal opinion. I should like to clarify that the separation into multiple defendant units is based upon actions and not causes of action. Set forth herein are certain additional considerations for allowing more than one single daily witness fee and mileage for all eight days. The results reached are compelled by the record in this case. The plaintiff opposing the allowance of the witness fees claimed has interposed only defenses in law; the facts relevant to the disposition of the appeal have not been controverted.
The fact that Snorgras1 was retained by the defendants; that he was in attendance in court upon seven days pursuant to subpoena and upon the eighth day pursuant to request of the defendants; that he in fact testified for each defendant claiming witness fees; that each such defendant has obligated himself to pay Snorgras an expert witness’ fee for each day of his attendance in court; that each defendant claiming witness fees has actually paid to Snorgras the witness fees and mileage claimed; and that his attendance on the eight days was necessary in testifying or waiting to be called or recalled to the witness stand all remain uncontroverted.
*571Upon the issue of necessity in incurring the fees, we should remember that although the amount of recovery is limited to that allowable for a lay witness, we here deal with witness fees of an expert claimed by the condemnee defendants in an eminent domain proceeding. The proceedings are in invitum in nature. Upon the defendants, the law places the burden of proving the fair market value of the respective properties being taken for public use. (Monterey County v. Cushing (1890) 83 Cal. 507, 510-511 [23 P. 700]; People v. Thomas (1952) 108 Cal.App.2d 832, 840 [239 P.2d 914]; BAJI No. 509.) To meet that burden in most litigated condemnation proceedings, an appraiser’s expert opinion testimony as to value is almost a sine qua non.
Although the taxable costs allowable in a condemnation case are generally limited to those items allowable under section 1032 of the Code of Civil Procedure (People v. Bowman (1959) 173 Cal.App.2d 416, 418 [343 P.2d 267]; Code Civ. Proc., § 1871 and Evid. Code, § 733), the discretion under both sections 1032 and 1255 of the Code of Civil Procedure are subject to the provisions of section 14, article I of the State Constitution.2 Hence, even under section 1032 costs must be allowed an owner whose property is being taken for a public use even though the amount recovered is within the jurisdiction of an inferior court. (Heimann v. City of Los Angeles (1947) 30 Cal.2d 746, 753 [185 P.2d 597].)3
The amount of allowable witness fees is not limited to the time the witness spends upon the witness stand, but includes “fees for daily court attendance and mileage of expert witnesses called by the [condemnee].” (People v. Bowman, supra; Bathgate v. Irvine (1899) 126 Cal. 135, 149 [58 P. 442, 77 Am.St.Rep. 158].)
Time spent in court by an expert witness as an adviser to counsel or for the purpose of auditing to qualify himself to render expert opinion testimony later in the case has been held to be a nontaxable cost item, but time spent by such a witness attending court awaiting his call to the witness stand is allowable. (Corona Foothill Lemon Co. v. Lillibridge (1936) 12 Cal.App.2d 549, 555-556 [55 P.2d 1210].)
A verified memorandum of costs is prima facie evidence that the costs specified therein have been necessarily incurred. *572(Meyer v. City of San Diego (1901) 132 Cal. 35, 36 [64 P. 124]; Jeffers v. Screen Extras Guild, Inc. (1955) 134 Cal.App.2d 622, 623 [286 P.2d 30]; Von Goerlitz v. Turner (1944) 65 Cal.App.2d 425, 432 [150 P.2d 278].) A memorandum of costs may be verified by a party’s attorney “on information and belief” (Rosenfield v. Vosper (1943) 57 Cal.App.2d 605, 607-608 [134 P.2d 529, 135 P.2d 579]; Code Civ. Proc., § 1033), but an affidavit supporting a motion to retax costs may not be so made (Jeffers v. Screen Extras Guild, Inc., supra; Pratt v. Robert S. Odell & Co. (1944) 63 Cal.App.2d 78, 81-82 [146 P.2d 504]). The burden is upon the party moving to retax costs to prove that the charge is not a legal or proper one. (Meyer v. City of San Diego, supra; Von Goerlitz v. Turner, supra; Wilson v. Nichols (1942) 55 Cal.App.2d 678, 682-683 [131 P.2d 596].) It is error to strike an item in a cost bill if there is no evidence in the record to disprove the necessity for incurring the item. (Fay v. Fay (1913) 165 Cal. 469, 475 [132 P. 1040]; Wilson v. Nichols, supra; Ream v. Barr (1930) 108 Cal.App. 172, 175-176 [291 P. 451].)
Absent an affirmative showing of bad faith in incurring the item, the cost of subpoening a witness and his per diem and mileage fees are allowable cost items even though the witness is not actually sworn nor his testimony used. (Randall v. Falkner (1871) 41 Cal. 242, 246-247; Prichard v. Southern Pac. Co. (1935) 9 Cal.App.2d 704, 705-706 [51 P.2d 428]; Whitaker v. Moran (1914) 23 Cal.App. 758, 762 [139 P. 901].) Particularly appropriate to a condemnation proceeding is our Supreme Court’s statement in Meyer v. City of San Diego (1901) supra, 132 Cal. 35, 37, “Witnesses are often procured at heavy expense, and their testimony for some reason is not needed or becomes immaterial, yet the party who is put to the expense, and incurs it in good faith, may recover it as part of his costs. ’ ’
The fact that a eodefendant calls a witness and elicits testimony from him which renders it unnecessary to present extended testimony from the witness on behalf of another defendant who subpoenaed the witness, is no bar to the latter recovering costs of subpoena and witness fees incurred4 as necessary to his defense. (Barnhart v. Kron (1891) 88 Cal. 447, 449-450 [26 P.210].)
In certain instances, a statutory item of cost is allowed to *573each prevailing defendant even where their interests in the outcome of the litigation are joint. (Jeffers v. Screen Extras Guild, Inc. (1955) supra, 134 Cal.App.2d 622, 623-624.)
In allowing the witness fee for the eighth day consideration should also be given to section 1990 of the Code of Civil Procedure providing, “A person present in court, or before a judicial officer, may be required to testify in the same manner as if he were in attendance upon a subpoena issued by such court or officer,” and cases, e.g., People v. MacFarlane (1945) 71 Cal.App.2d 535, 537 [162 P.2d 937], holding that a witness is entitled to mileage for each day he is in court.

 Assigned by the Chairman of the Judicial Council.

Spelling taken from memoranda of costs.

Cf. Chicago, B. & Q. R. Co. v. Chicago (1897) 166 U.S. 226 [41 L.Ed. 979, 17 S.Ct. 581].

Overruled on another point in County of Los Angeles v. Faus (1957) 48 Cal.2d 672, 679 [312 P.2d 680].

Government Code section 68097: ' ‘Witnesses in civil cases may demand the payment of their mileage and fees for one day, in advance, and when so demanded shall not be compelled to attend until the allowances are paid. ...”