Restrictions OK
Jurisdiction Employment Relations Authority - Auckland
Reference No [2012] NZERA Auckland 79
Determination date 01 March 2012
Member R Larmer
Representation no appearance ; P Swarbrick
Location Auckland
Parties Osborne v The Farmers' Trading Co Ltd
Summary COSTS – Unsuccessful personal grievance – One day investigation meeting – No submissions received from applicant – Respondent sought $10,000 contribution to $15,000 total costs – Authority found hardship as result of costs award expected and acceptable consequence of decision by party to engage in unsuccessful litigation – Found no factors to warrant decrease to notional daily tariff – Found daily tariff should be increased on grounds applicant’s conduct unnecessarily increased respondent’s legal costs because declined to accept settlement offer, manner in which conducted case and elected to pursue arguments that were devoid of merit – Found respondent’s settlement offer realistic – Found applicant put on notice of deficiencies in claim – Found applicant failed to prosecute claim properly, changed evidence, did not pursue disadvantage grievance which caused respondent to incur costs, and changed claim for lost wages – Found applicant should have known claim unlikely to be successful – Found $6,000 contribution to costs appropriate
Result Costs in favour of respondent
Main Category Costs
Cases Cited Carter Holt Harvey v Eastern Bays Independent Industrial Workers Union & Others [2011] NZEMPC 13;Ogilvy & Mather (NZ) Ltd v Darroch [1993] 2 ERNZ 943;Osborne v The Farmers’ Trading Company Limited [2011] NZERA Auckland 552;PBO Ltd (formerly Rush Security) v Da Cruz [2005] ERNZ 808
Number of Pages 6
PDF File Link: 2012_NZERA_Auckland_79.pdf [pdf 27 KB]