The court issued a costs endorsement following a three-day trial where the paternal grandmother's claim for contact with the child and the mother's claim for a restraining order against the paternal grandmother were both dismissed.
Both parties sought costs against each other, with the paternal grandmother seeking $9,627 and the mother seeking over $70,000.
The court applied the principles of reasonableness and proportionality, considering offers to settle and the parties' financial circumstances.
The mother was deemed the successful party on the dominant issue of contact, while the paternal grandmother was successful on the secondary issue of the restraining order.
The court ordered the paternal grandmother to pay the mother $12,000 in costs, payable in monthly installments, taking into account the paternal grandmother's modest financial circumstances and her reasonable offer to settle.
