§ 1117 Costs

When a case is brought by a social services official and it goes to appeal, sometimes the court awards costs and disbursements to the other side (the respondent). This rule says that if the respondent wins those costs, the county has to pay them, not the individual social services official who filed the case.

In simple terms, this protects the respondent from having to chase down payment from a government agency or worker. It also means the financial responsibility falls on the county government itself. This rule mainly matters in cases where a social services agency took legal action against someone, and that action was later challenged on appeal.