Following a difficult family law trial involving unfounded allegations of child abuse by the mother, the successful father sought full recovery of his trial costs of $163,244.
The court reviewed multiple offers to settle and found the father's offers regarding custody and access attracted full recovery under Rule 18(14), while his financial offers demonstrated reasonable litigation conduct under Rule 24(5).
The court rejected the mother's argument of divided success and her claim of inability to pay, noting her unreasonable litigation conduct and escalation of claims.
The father was awarded $118,000 in costs.
