Following a trial judgment in a historic sexual abuse action, the court determined costs and the commencement date for pre-judgment interest.
The self-represented plaintiff was awarded fixed costs of $97,000 inclusive of disbursements, with a modest $5,000 allowance for self-representation rather than the full counsel fees claimed, and the handwriting expert disbursement was disallowed as unnecessary.
Applying a practical costs-fixing approach under the Rules of Civil Procedure, the court accepted the legitimacy of prior counsel accounts and considered the spirit of the Victims Bill of Rights, 1995 in fixing the self-representation component.
Pre-judgment interest at five percent was ordered from August 1, 2001, except on the future care special damages award.
