Finlay v. Fabián
Finlay v. Fabián
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the court.
The District Court of San Juan, Section 1, having rendered
The memorandum having been objected to on the ground that Fabián’s trip to Humacao and the' copy of the stenographic record were not necessary for the purposes of the action, the court entered an order refusing to allow the said items on that ground, and from that order Fabián took the present appeal.
The appellant contends that as to the item of one hundred dollars for the stenographic record of. the proceeding for the custody of the daughter of the litigants, the lower court had no authority to determine whether the same was or was not necessary in the action because the law provides that the charge therefor is considered as part of the costs • which should be paid by the defeated party, and, therefore, that the order should be reversed as regards that item.
The appellant is right. Section 3 of the Act of March 10, 1904, creating the position of official stenographer for the district courts, provides that stenographers shall report correctly all oral proceedings had in said courts and the testimony taken in all cases tried before the same, unless the parties, with the consent of the judge, waive the services of the stenographer; and section 5 makes it the duty of the said employee to furnish typewritten copies of his stenographic notes to the parties to the suit requesting them, for which he is entitled to collect a certain sum to be taxed as costs in.
The other item of seven dollars for traveling expenses to Humacao does not come under the same category, and the obligation of the defeated party to pay this disbursement depends upon whether it was necessary for the purposes of the suit. It is not shown whether any evidence was examined regarding the necessity for that trip, although it would appear that there was none, inasmuch as while the appellee maintains that Fabian introduced no evidence regarding the necessity for the trip and that therefore the order appealed from should be affirmed as to that point, the appellant contends that as the memorandum of costs and disbursements was presented with the oath required by law, the adverse party must produce evidence to show that the party claiming its payment had no need of it for the purposes of his defense.
In the present case the court did not allow the said item because' it considered that the trip to Humacao was not necessary; and as there is no showing here to the contrary or that from the evidence which the court could take into account in its ruling it did not appear that the trip was necessary for Fabián’s defense, we cannot disturb the court’s ruling and its order should be affirmed as to the said item.
The order should be reversed only as to the item of one hundred dollars.
Affirmed in pari.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.