Rule 141 Court May Otherwise Adjudge Costs

A judge has the power to decide who pays court costs in a way that is different from the normal rules. To do this, the judge must have a good reason and must say that reason out loud in court so it is part of the official record.

This gives judges some flexibility when the standard rules about costs would lead to an unfair result. For example, if one party acted badly during the case or caused unnecessary delays, the judge could order that party to pay more of the costs than usual.