El Dorado Meat Co. v. Yosemite Meat and Locker Service, Inc.

El Dorado Meat (plaintiff) sued Yosemite Meat (defendant) alleging fraud and anticompetitive conduct that drove El Dorado out of business; at trial, Yosemite presented a 37-page exhibit summarizing its voluminous business records, and the trial court entered judgment for Yosemite on all claims. Yosemite sought $191,566 in costs, including $143,809 tied to preparing that summary exhibit - $111,063 for personnel (including an accounting firm and data-entry staff) to compile the underlying data, $30,495 to photocopy 160,000 pages of the underlying business records (also admitted into evidence), and $2,250 for courtroom projection equipment. El Dorado objected to the exhibit-related costs, and the trial court nonetheless awarded Yosemite the full amount; El Dorado appealed.