Rule Text
Except as otherwise set forth in these Rules, the parties shall each bear their own costs and attorney’s fees.
Amendment history: Approved, effective August 31, 1984; as amended, effective September 29, 1989; January 31, 1998; September 1, 2000; as amended, effective May 1, 2010; as amended, effective March 1, 2019; as amended, effective December 4, 2023.
Plain-English Summary (for reference only — not a substitute for the rule text above)
This summary is not the rule. The rule text controls.
Each side in a case has to pay for their own lawyer and cover their own expenses. This means if you file a complaint or you're a judge responding to one, you can't ask the other side to pay for your legal costs, and you won't be stuck paying theirs either.
There are a few exceptions built into other parts of these rules, so this isn't an absolute rule in every situation. But as a general practice, everyone pays their own way through the process. This helps keep things simple and predictable, since people know upfront that they'll be responsible for their own legal bills no matter how the case turns out.