Page v. Walser

223 P. 1079, 47 Nev. 386, 1924 Nev. LEXIS 45
CourtNevada Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 10, 1924
DocketNo. 2546
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 223 P. 1079 (Page v. Walser) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nevada Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Page v. Walser, 223 P. 1079, 47 Nev. 386, 1924 Nev. LEXIS 45 (Neb. 1924).

Opinion

[389]*389By the Court,

Sanders, J.:

This proceeding is one authorized by subdivision 3 of Supreme Court Rule 6 to review the decision of the [390]*390clerk of this court taxing appellants’ costs herein at the sum of $782.30.

All concede or must concede that the practice of awarding- and taxing costs on appeal, the time within which the cost bill must be filed, and the items allowable are all matters of statutory regulation, amplified by the rules of this court. For the clear understanding of our reasons for holding that six of the seven objections to the cost bill are untenable, we shall quote the statute and rules of court deemed relevant.

Section 439 of the civil practice act (Rev. Laws, 5381) provides:

“In the following cases the costs of an appeal to the supreme court shall be in the discretion of the court:
“1. Where a new trial is ordered.
“2. When a judgment is modified. In the event no order is -made by the court relative to the costs in the two instances mentioned in this section, the party obtaining any relief shall have his costs.”

Subdivision 1 of Rule 6 of the supreme court provides:

“The expense of printing or typewriting transcripts, affidavits, briefs, or other papers on appeal in civil causes, * * * required'by these rules to be printed or typewritten, shall be allowed as costs, and taxed in bills of costs in the usual mode; provided, that no greater amount than 15 cents per folio of 100 words, and for one copy only, shall be taxed as costs for either printing or typewriting; all other costs to be taxed by the clerk in accordance with the fee bill.”

Subdivision 2 of Rule 6 refers to the time for the filing of the cost bill with the clerk and its service upon the opposite party.

Subdivision 3 of said rule provides:

“If either party desires to object to the costs claimed, by the opposite party, he shall, within ten days after the service upon him of a copy of the cost bill, file with the clerk, and serve his objections. Said objections shall be heard and settled, and the costs taxed by the clerk. An appeal may be taken from the decision of the clerk, [391]*391either by written notice of five days, or orally and instanter, to the justices of this court, and the decision of such justices shall be final. If there be no objections tc the costs claimed by the party entitled thereto, they shall be taxed as claimed in his cost bill.”

Referring to the parties herein as they stood on the original appeal, it will be observed by reference to the opinion and decision (46 Nev. 390, 213 Pac. 107) that the appellants appealed from a judgment for the sum of $10,200, and also from an order denying their motion for a new trial. The judgment was reduced by our decision from $10,200 to $833.33, and the court made no order relative to costs. Respondents filed a petition for a reheáring, in which it was urged that, since the court ruled against the contentions of appellants on most of the questions raised upon the appeal, and the greater portion of the record and the greater portion of appellants’ briefs were directed to points upon which they did not prevail, the judgment should be so modified as to deny the appellants their costs upon appeal. The petition for rehearing was summarily denied without comment. Thereafter appellants filed an amended cost bill by adding thereto the item of $12.60 for the expense of typewriting their reply to the petition for rehearing. The respondents interposed objections to .the amended bill, and in order to cure certain alleged irregularities with respect to the original bill it was stipulated between counsel that the clerk should proceed to hear and settle the objections to the bill and tax the costs.

The items of cost taxed by the clerk are in words and figures following, to wit:

Clerk’s costs............................................................................................ $25.00
Premium paid on undertaking on appeal...................................... 10.00
Transcript of record on appeal, Vol. A, 991 folios at 15 cents.. 148.05
Transcript of record on appeal,Vol. B, 1121 folios at 15 cents.. 168.15
Transcript of record on appeal,Vol. C, 1161 folios at 15 cents.. 174.15
Transcript of record on appeal,Vol. D, 1021 folios at 15 cents.. 153.15
Assignment of errors, 46 folios at 15 cents.................................... 0.90
Brief and argument for appellants, 522 folios at 15 cents........ 78.30
Reply brief, points, and authorities, 36 folios at 15 cents.......... 5.4Ó
Reply to petition for rehearing, S4 folios at 15 cents.................. 12.60
Total costs allowed by clerk..............................................................$7S2.30

[392]*392We shall notice and dispose of the objections to the several items as nearly in the order in which they are stated as convenient.

1. It is objected that the bill should be disregarded and treated as a fugitive paper, for the reason that there is no provision of law for the filing of a cost bill after decision on petition for rehearing. In this counsel are in error. Ramelli v. Sorgi, 40 Nev. 281, 161 Pac. 717.

2. It is objected that the item “premium paid on undertaking on appeal” is not a lawful charge; that the premium paid is excessive. The item is one authorized by statute. Rev. Laws, 699. In the absence of anything to show it to be an unreasonable charge, the item will be allowed to stand. Richards v. Vermilyea, 42 Nev. 294, 175 Pac. 188, 180 Pac. 121.

3. It is claimed that there is no provision of law permitting recovery of costs for “reply to a petition for rehearing.” It is considered by the court that a petition for rehearing and reply thereto are in the nature of briefs and a part of the papers on appeal. The item of $12.60 for typewriting the reply to the petition for rehearing is theréfore allowed.

4. It is objected that the items of cost for “transcript of record on appeal” are excessive, for the following reasons: (a) That the record contains three surplus copies of the voluminous pleadings in the case, (b) That the record is incumbered by numerous bills of exception, designed to present questions of law, all of which were decided against the contentions of appellants. (c) That the record, in so far as it affects the point or points decided in favor of appellants, does not exceed 100 pages or 300 folios, (d) The item designated “assignment of errors” relates exclusively to alleged errors, none of which was sustained on appeal, excepting one with respect to the value of certain shares of the capital stock of the Limerick Consolidated Mines Company in controversy, (e) That the items designated “brief and argument for appellants” and “reply brief, points, and authorities” are excessive, in that said briefs [393]*393are in the main devoted to arguments on questions of law and fact which were not sustained by the decision of the court, with the exception of the point relative to the.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
223 P. 1079, 47 Nev. 386, 1924 Nev. LEXIS 45, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/page-v-walser-nev-1924.