Trial lawyers specializing in personal injury and civil litigation
Prevailing party's expert expenses are reduced on appeal
Wolverine Commerce, LLC won a zoning dispute with Pittsfield Township in Washtenaw County and assessed fees and costs. The company did not carefully segregate its expert expenses, however, to limit its "costs" to those essential to the expert's actual testimony and related preparations. The appellate court reviewed the pertinent case law and allowed the company to collect for the expert's assistant's time, to the extent the assistant's participation was actually necessary for trial. On the other hand, it excluded any expert billings that related to conferences held to prepare counsel or to assess the adversary's strategy.