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Case 1:07-cv-00026-OWW-DLB Document 394 Filed 07/14/2009 Page 1 of 12
1MarkA.Wasser
CA
SB#060160
LAW
OFFICESOF
MARK
A.
WASSER
2400CapitolMall,Suite2640Sacramento,California958143Phone:(916)444-6400Fax:(916)444-64054E-mail:mwasser@markwasser.com
5
678910AttorneyforDefendantCounty
of
Kern
UNITEDSTATESDISTRICTCOURTEASTERNDISTRICTOFCALIFORNIA
11
DAVIDF.JADWIN,D.O.
12PlaintitI,
13
vs.CaseNo.:1:07-cv-00026-0WW-DLB
DEFENDANT'SOBJECTIONS
TO
PLAINTIFF'S
BILL
OF
COSTS
DateActionFiled:January6,2007TrialDate:May14,2009
I-------------------l
HearingRequested
Local
Rule
54-292(d)Defendant.14
COUNTYOFKERN,
15
1617
18
19
INTRODUCTION
20PursuanttoLocalRule54-292(c),DefendantCounty
of
Kern("County")submitsthese
21
objectionsto
Plaintiffs
Bill
of
Costs,filed
on
June29,2009.PursuanttoLocalRule54-292(d),22theCountyrequestsahearing.
23
Summary
24
Plaintiffs
costbillisprematurebecausefinaljudgmenthas
not
yet
been
entered.Local
25
Rule54-292(b);FederalRule
of
CivilProcedureRule54(b).Onlypartial
judgment
hasbeen26entered.
See
Document389,PartialJudgmentonVerdicts
of
TrialJury.
Plaintiffs
submission27
of
thiscostbillshouldbarrecovery
of
any
additionalcostsincurredafteritssubmission.28
·1·
DEFENDANT'SOBJECTIONSTOPLAINTIFF'SBILLOFCOSTS
 
Case 1:07-cv-00026-OWW-DLB Document 394 Filed 07/14/2009 Page 2 of 12
1TheCountyrequeststhefollowingexpensesbedisallowedfrom
Plaintiffs
Bill
of
Costs:2
$320.00
inwitnessfeesforwitnesseswhodidnotappearattrial,
$3,559.89
inmileageexpenses3forwitnesseswhodidnotappearattrial,
$525.00
inservicefeesforsubpoenasthatwerenot4served,
$1,590.00
in
"rush
service"feesforwitnesseswhodidnotappear,
$125,000.00
in5excessiveexpertwitnessfees,
$16,164.52
indepositioncostsfordepositionstakenwithout6justificationorgoodcause,
$1,208.96
inunauthorizedDMEtranscriptioncosts,
$3,628.00
infee7forbackgroundinvestigation
of
witnesses,
$23,228.25
inattorneytravelandaccommodation8expenses,
$2,495.60
forunauthorizedtrialtranscripts,
$247.12
in
costsforextracopies
of
court9filings,
$31.50
intelephonicappearancecosts,
$2,051.50
inexcessivejuryconsultantcosts,10
$9,272.38
inunallowablepostage,telephoneandcopyingcharges,
$12.95
forPlaintiff's
11
investigation
of
himself,and
$1,118.19
formedicalrecordscopying.Theseitemstotal12
$190,453.86
and
Plaintiffs
Bill
of
Costsshouldbereducedbythatamount.
13
Defendant'sspecificobjectionsaresetforthbelow.14
GeneralStandardfor
Costs
15
Rule54
of
theFederalRule
of
CivilProcedureauthorizestheaward
of
costs.The
16
specificcostswhichcanbeawardedareenumeratedin
28
U.S.C.§1920andtheamountthatcan17beawardedinreimbursementforwitnessesisspecifiedin28U.S.C.§1821.LocalRule54-
18
292(f)listsastaxableitems:(a)clerk'sfees,(b)service
of
processfees,(c)courtreporter'sfees,19(d)docketfees,(e)feesforenlargements,exhibits,andphotocopies,(h)witnessfees,mileage20andsubsistence,(i)compensation
of
court-appointedexperts,court-appointedinterpreters,and
21
others,and(k)otheritemsallowedbyanystatuteorruleorbytheCourtintheinterest
of
justice.22Feesandcostsmayberecoveredonlyforexpensesthatwerenecessaryandreasonableto
23
theprosecution
of
acase.
Farrar
v.
Hobby,
506U.S.
103
(1992);
Farmer
v.
ArabianAmerican24OilCo.,
379U.S.227(1964).
A
prevailingpartyisnotgivenablankchecktoassesstheother
25
partywhatevercostsitwantstocollect.
Farmer,
379U.S.at235.TheCourthasthepowerto26reduceexcessivefees.
AmericanAtheists,
Inc.
v.
City
of
Starke,
509F.Supp.2d1221(2007M.D.27Fla.).28Plaintiff'scostsareexcessiveandarenotrecoverable.
-2-
DEFENDANT'SOBJECTIONS
TO
PLAINTIFF'SBILLOFCOSTS
 
Case 1:07-cv-00026-OWW-DLB Document 394 Filed 07/14/2009 Page 3 of 12
1WitnessFees2Witnessfeesandtravelreimbursementareallowablecostsunder
28
U.S.C.§1920with3theamount
of
$40perdaysetby
28
U.S.C.§1821.
It
isnotnecessarythatawitnesstestifyin4order
to
beeligibleforreimbursementforwitnessfeesandtrave!.
Gordon
v.
CastleOldsmobile
5
&
Honda,
157F.R.D.438(1994N.D.II!.);
InternationalWoodProcessors
v.
Power
Dry,
Inc.,
6598F.Supp.299(1984D.C.SC).However,witnessfeesarenotrecoverableforwitnesses
who
7werenevercalledtotestify.
LinnemanConstruction,
Inc.
v.
Montana-DakotaUtilities,
504F.2d81365(19748thCir.).Witnesseswhowerenotcalledarenot"witnesses."TheCourtdetermines9thereasonableness
of
witnessfees.
Quy
v.
AirAmerica,Inc.,
667
F.2d1059(1981App.D.C.).
10
Plaintiffscostbillrequestswitnessfeesforthefollowingindividualswhowerenot
11
called
as
witnesses:LindaWilkinson,Dr.Etesham,
Dr.
Fahmy,
Dr.
Naidu,Dr.LeonardPerez,
12
Dr.
Baldwin,Dr.JosePerez,and
Dr.
Taylor.TheCountydoesnotevenknowwhomany
of
13
these"witnesses"are.
14
Defendantrequeststhatthe$320
(8
X$40
=
$320)inwitnessfeesforthosewitnesses
be
15
stricken.
16
Mileagecosts
17
Thesecostsareobjectionableonatleasttwogrounds.First,Plaintiffrequests
18
reimbursementformileagecostswithoutindicatingwhetherthoseamountshaveactuallybeen
19
paid.Second,theclaimedexpensesarenotreasonable.
20
Travelexpensesarenotrequiredtobepaid
at
thetime
of
service
of
thetrialsubpoena.
21
28
U.S.C.§1821.There
is
authoritythatreimbursementforwitnesstravel
is
notto
bepaiduntil
22
thewitnessappears.
NLRB
v.
Frazier,
144F.R.D.650(1992D.C.NJ).
23
Plaintiffclaimstravelexpensesforseveralwitnesseswhodidnotappearand,
24
consequently,incurrednotravelexpense.Dr.JosePerezlivesinHouston,Texas(Document
25
392-5,page119).Dr.Perezwasnotcalledasawitnessanddidnotappearattria!'Yet,Plaintiff
26
claims$2,160.22formileageof6,001miles.PlaintiffmakessimilarclaimsforLindaWilkinson
27
($137.10),Dr.Etesham($144.36),Dr.Fahmy($139.52),
Dr.
Naidu($213.33),Dr.Leonard
28
Perez($132.26),Dr.Baldwin($275.04),Dr.Alkhouri($74.18),
Dr.
Taylor($143.15)andSandr
-3-
DEFENDANT'SOBJECTIONSTOPLAINTIFF'SBILLOFCOSTS
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