Restrictions OK
Jurisdiction Employment Relations Authority - Wellington
Reference No WA 26/10
Hearing date 11 Feb 2010
Determination date 12 February 2010
Member D Asher
Representation L Watson ; J Gwilliam
Location Wellington
Parties Kirkwood v DAS Transport Ltd
Summary COSTS - Successful personal grievance - Half a day investigation meeting - Applicant sought $3,000 contribution to total costs of $8,500 - Applicant claimed successful in claim and costs should follow the event – Applicant placed reliance on Authority’s comments in substantive determination that costs contribution should reflect respondent’s less than cooperative approach to investigation that resulted in additional but unnecessary attendances by applicant’s counsel - Respondent claimed costs should be limited to interlocutory matters and not substantive investigation as respondent had no opportunity to present its case - Claimed applicant should take some responsibility for difficulties imposed on respondent as knew respondent’s directors’ private addresses which could have been used for service - Claimed costs should be nominal to reflect respondent’s difficulties when elected to dispense with previous counsel’s services - Authority found not fair to place responsibility for respondent’s delays on applicant - Found in all circumstances respondent to pay $3,000 contribution to applicant’s reasonably incurred costs
Result Costs in favour of applicant ($3,000)
Main Category Costs
Cases Cited Kirkwood v DAS Transport Ltd unreported, D Asher, 13 Nov 2009, WA 178/09;PBO Ltd (formerly Rush Security Ltd) v Da Cruz [2005] 1 ERNZ 808
Number of Pages 3
PDF File Link: wa 26_10.pdf [pdf 11 KB]