Pate v. General Motors Corp.

89 F.R.D. 342, 1981 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10532
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Mississippi
DecidedJanuary 5, 1981
DocketNo. EC 79-17-OS-P
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 89 F.R.D. 342 (Pate v. General Motors Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Mississippi primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Pate v. General Motors Corp., 89 F.R.D. 342, 1981 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10532 (N.D. Miss. 1981).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OF DECISION AND ORDER

ORMA R. SMITH, Senior District Judge.

Defendant, the prevailing party in this action, filed its Bill of Costs for taxation by the clerk on September 19, 1980. Rule 54(d), Fed.R.Civ.P. The clerk taxed the costs on September 23, 1980, in the sum of $2,286.50. The Bill of Costs reflects the following:

1. Pees for the clerk'............$ 15.00
2. Fees of the Marshal........... 60.16
3. Fees for Court Reporter for all or any part of the transcript necessarily obtained for use in the case .................... 1414.50
4. Fees for witnesses............ 766.84
5. Docket fees under 28 USC § 1923 30.00
TOTAL $2286.50

Plaintiff’s objections to the clerk’s allowance of the costs were filed September 26, 1980.

A. FEES FOR COURT REPORTER FOR ALL OR ANY PART OF THE TRANSCRIPT NECESSARILY OBTAINED FOR USE IN THE CASE—$1414.50. REDUCED BY AMENDMENT SUBMITTED DECEMBER 23, 1980, TO $1035.30.

On June 28, 1979, defendant took the discovery deposition of Frank Wiygul, Charles Pate and James Pate. The court reporter’s charges were $140.60 (excluding extra copies).

On June 29, 1978, defendant took the discovery depositions of Jeffrey Dale Kennedy, Esker Lowder, Jimmy Umfress, Frank Wiygul, Mitchell McNeese, and J. B. Burleson. The court reporter’s charges were $403.00. (No charge was made for extra copies.)

On January 23, 1979, defendant took the discovery deposition of plaintiff, James H. Pate. The court reporter’s charges were $162.00 (excluding extra copies).

Defendant took the depositions of Dr. John D. Ray, Dr. Julian O. Doughty, and [344]*344James Lawrence Tomlinson on January 22, 1979. The court reporter’s charges were $329.70 (excluding costs of copies).

The deposition charges, as amended, are calculated as follows:

1. William D. Bumpass, Court Reporter, June 28,1978 ..........$ 140.60
2. William D. Bumpass, Court Reporter, January 23,1979 ....... 162.00
3. Janet Clemens, Court Reporter, June 29,1978 ................ 403.00
4. Mrs. Mary Ann Turner, Court Reporter, January 22,1979 ..... 329.70
TOTAL $1035.30

Defendant is entitled to recover the costs of the depositions of Jeffrey Dale Kennedy (a/k/a Jeff Kennedy), Esker Lowder, Frank Wiygul, Mitchell McNeese, James H. Pate, Dr. John D. Ray, and Charles Pate. The court agrees that these depositions were “necessarily obtained for use in the case”. 28 U.S.C. § 1920(2). All of these parties were critical fact witnesses, with the exception of Dr. Ray, plaintiff’s expert witness, whose deposition was taken by defendant prior to trial.

The costs of taking of the deposition of James Lawrence Tomlinson is not a proper charge. Mr. Tomlinson was the corporate representative of defendant at trial. He testified as an expert witness. Dr. Julian O. Doughty appeared at trial as an expert witness for defendant. Jimmy Umfress and J. B. Burleson, were not called as witnesses. The court finds that defendant has not demonstrated the necessity which the law requires for the depositions of the witnesses Doughty, Umfress, and Burleson. The costs incidental to the taking of these depositions will not be allowed. Plaintiff’s objection thereto is sustained.

A computation of the expenses incurred by defendant for costs of transcripts of depositions taken prior to trial which the court finds are properly included in the Bill of Costs are:

1. Amount requested by defendant.........$1035.30
2. Less costs of transcripts of depositions which the court has not approved:
a. James Lawrence Tomlinson $65.00
b. Dr. Julian O. Doughty .... 59.80
c. Jimmy Umfress ......... 67.001
d. J. B. Burleson .......... 67.001
Less Total 258.80
Net amount approved $ 776.50

The court’s ruling on the allowance of deposition expenses as a proper item to be included in the Bill of Costs, is controlled by the principles set forth in Morris v. Carnathan, 63 F.R.D. 374 (N.D.Miss.1974), and Morrison Alleluia Cushion Co., Inc., 73 F.R.D. 70 (N.D.Miss.1976). For a further discussion of the subject, see 10 Wright & Miller, Federal Practice and Procedure, Civil Section 2676, pages 199, et seq.

B. THE WITNESS FEES—$766.84.

1. Fee for Expert Witness Attending Pre-Trial Deposition.

Prior to trial, the parties consented to submit their trial expert witnesses for examination by counsel. Dr. Ray, an expert witness for plaintiff, charged a fee of $310.00 for his appearance.

The court has adopted the rule that, except in exceptional, extraordinary or unusual circumstances,2 “expert witness fees, above subsistence and travel, will not be taxed against a losing party.” Morris v. Carnathan, supra, at page 379. See also, Baum v. United States, 432 F.2d 85, 86 (5th Cir. 1970), Gerber v. Stoltenberg, 394 F.2d 179 (5th Cir. 1968), Jones v. Diamond, 594 F.2d 997, 1029 (5th Cir. 1979); Burgess v. [345]*345Williamson, 506 F.2d 870, 879-80 (5th Cir. 1975); Green v. American Tobacco Company, 304 F.2d 70, 77 (5th Cir. 1922).

The rationale for the rule is explained in 10 Wright & Miller, Federal Practice and Procedure, Civil Sec. 2678, pages 236-37, as follows:

Finally, despite a few early decisions to the contrary, it seems well settled that a party’s expert witnesses are entitled only to the regular statutory witness fees allowed by Section 1821 and that no costs will be allowed for any extra tests that the prevailing party might conduct in the hope of circumventing this restriction. The rationale for limiting witnesses to one fee is set out in a Senate Report and amounts to a finding that a graduated fee scale would not be feasible for the courts to administer.

There are no unusual, extraordinary or exceptional circumstances in the action sub judice which will justify a departure from the rule that the court has “no authority to tax costs for compensation to an expert witness in excess of the statutory attendance per day, mileage and subsistence allowance”. Green, supra, 304 F.2d at page 77.

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Bluebook (online)
89 F.R.D. 342, 1981 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10532, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pate-v-general-motors-corp-msnd-1981.