Tilton v. Capital Cities/ABC, Inc.

115 F.3d 1471, 156 A.L.R. Fed. 741, 25 Media L. Rep. (BNA) 1917, 38 Fed. R. Serv. 3d 181, 1997 U.S. App. LEXIS 14652, 1997 WL 332430
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
DecidedJune 18, 1997
Docket96-5041
StatusPublished
Cited by83 cases

This text of 115 F.3d 1471 (Tilton v. Capital Cities/ABC, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

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Tilton v. Capital Cities/ABC, Inc., 115 F.3d 1471, 156 A.L.R. Fed. 741, 25 Media L. Rep. (BNA) 1917, 38 Fed. R. Serv. 3d 181, 1997 U.S. App. LEXIS 14652, 1997 WL 332430 (10th Cir. 1997).

Opinion

*1473 TACHA, Circuit Judge.

Robert G. Tilton appeals the order of the district court taxing him $135,830.34 in costs pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1920 and Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 54(d). Tilton argues that the district court erred in taxing: (1) the transcription costs of forty-eight depositions, (2) the travel and subsistence expenses of ten deponents, (3) the copying costs of a number of deposition exhibits, trial exhibits, imaged documents, and third-party discovery documents, (4) the preparation and transcription costs of seven videotaped depositions, and (5) the translation costs for exhibits used as part of a deposition. We have jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1291. For the reasons set forth below, we affirm. 1

BACKGROUND

In 1992, Tilton sued Capital Cities/ABC, Inc., American Broadcasting Companies, Inc., ABC News, Inc., and several employees of American Broadcasting Companies, Inc., for libel and false light invasion of privacy arising out of the broadcast of two television programs in 1991 and 1992. The district court granted summary judgment in favor of all the defendants. We affirmed the orders of the district court granting summary judgment on August 27, 1996. Tilton v. Capital Cities/ABC, Inc., 95 F.3d 32 (10th Cir.1996), cert. denied, — U.S.-, 117 S.Ct. 947, 136 L.Ed.2d 836 (1997).

, On July 3, 1995, the defendants filed a bill of costs in the amount of $144,081.47 with the clerk of the district court. Tilton objected to the defendants’ bill, arguing that almost all of the items were unnecessary or unallowable. On September 14,1995, the clerk taxed costs against Tilton in the amount of $138,700.24. Tilton sought review of the award with the district court, again arguing that almost all of the items were unnecessary or unallowable. On review, the district court reduced the costs taxed to $135,830.34, concluding that the defendants’ rush charges were not recoverable. Tilton now appeals the district court’s order.

DISCUSSION

I. Transcription Costs for Depositions

Section 1920(2) provides for taxation of “[flees of the court reporter for all or any part of the stenographic transcript necessarily obtained for use in the case.” 28 U.S.C. § 1920(2). In this case, the parties deposed sixty-nine individuals (fifty-nine by the defendants and ten by the plaintiff) for which the defendants sought transcription costs. The clerk taxed Tilton $48,614.44 for the transcription costs associated with sixty-two depositions but denied the transcription costs associated with seven depositions. In seeking review by the district court, Tilton argued that most of these depositions were unnecessary, irrelevant, and cumulative. On review, the district court upheld the taxation of costs. The court stated:

Upon review, the Court is satisfied that the depositions which were cited in or submitted with the parties’ briefs in regard to the summary judgment motions were necessarily obtained for use in this ease. Although the Court did not expressly cite to each and every deposition in its written order, the Court considered all of the depositions submitted in determining whether summary judgment in favor of Defendants was appropriate. ...
As to the remaining depositions which were not cited in or submitted with the parties’ briefs, the Court concludes that the depositions were necessarily obtained for use in the case. The Court finds that these depositions were not taken simply for investigative purposes or for the convenience of counsel as argued by Plaintiff. Moreover, the Court finds that these depositions were relevant to the issues in the case. The court therefore finds that the costs for these depositions were properly taxed.

Tilton v. Capital Cities/ABC, Inc., No. 92-C-1032-BU, slip op. at 2-3 (N.D.Okla. Jan. 5, 1996) (emphasis added).

*1474 On appeal, Tilton argues that the district court abused its discretion in taxing the transcription costs associated with forty-eight of the sixty-two depositions. Tilton argues that the depositions were irrelevant and cumulative and thus asserts that the depositions were not “necessarily obtained for use in the case” as required by section 1920(2).

We will not disturb the district court’s determination regarding what deposition costs are reasonably necessary to the litigation absent an abuse of discretion. Gibson v. Greater Park City Co., 818 F.2d 722, 725 (10th Cir.1987). A district court does not abuse its discretion in taxing transcription costs associated with depositions that were “actually utilized by the court in considering [the defendant’s] motion for summary judgment.” Merrick v. Northern Natural Gas Co., 911 F.2d 426, 434-35 (10th Cir.1990); see also Gibson, 818 F.2d at 725 (finding no abuse of discretion in allowing a defendant to recover the costs of several depositions when the court relied on the depositions in deciding the ease).

Of the forty-eight depositions at issue on appeal, the parties submitted all but four in support of their summary judgment briefs. The district court expressly stated that he relied on “all of the depositions submitted in determining whether summary judgment was appropriate.” Under these circumstances, we hold that the district court did not abuse its discretion in taxing the transcription costs associated with the depositions submitted by the parties in support of their summary judgment motions. Although we would have preferred a more detailed explanation of the district court’s decision to allow the deposition costs, the record contains no evidence that the district court abused its discretion in taxing the cost of deposition copies to plaintiff.

With respect to the four depositions that the parties did not submit with their summary judgment briefs (Ann Boatman, James Deaton, Barbara Miller — Volume 1, and Harold Watts), we do not consider whether the district court abused its discretion in taxing the transcription costs because the plaintiff has not included those depositions in the appellant’s appendix. In this circuit and under the Federal Rules, the appellant bears the responsibility of providing this court with “an appendix sufficient for consideration and determination of the issues on appeal.” 10th Cir. R. 30.1.1; see also Fed. R.App. P. 30; Shearson Lehman Bros., Inc. v. M & L Inv., 10 F.3d 1510, 1515 (10th Cir.1993).

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115 F.3d 1471, 156 A.L.R. Fed. 741, 25 Media L. Rep. (BNA) 1917, 38 Fed. R. Serv. 3d 181, 1997 U.S. App. LEXIS 14652, 1997 WL 332430, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/tilton-v-capital-citiesabc-inc-ca10-1997.