Costs on appeal to the Supreme Court shall be allowed to the prevailing party in civil actions and special proceedings, provided, however, that the cost of printing or reproducing briefs as set out in (3) and the cost of transcripts as set out in (4) are recoverable only if the required proof of such costs is filed with the clerk of the Supreme Court prior to entry of the court’s decision. Allowable costs are set out as follows:

(1) The amount of the statutory fees of the clerk of the Supreme Court and the clerk of the trial court;

Terms Used In South Dakota Codified Laws 15-30-6

  • Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
  • Affirmed: In the practice of the appellate courts, the decree or order is declared valid and will stand as rendered in the lower court.
  • Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
  • Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
  • Reporter: Makes a record of court proceedings and prepares a transcript, and also publishes the court's opinions or decisions (in the courts of appeals).
  • Transcript: A written, word-for-word record of what was said, either in a proceeding such as a trial or during some other conversation, as in a transcript of a hearing or oral deposition.
  • Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.

(2) For argument in the Supreme Court, thirty dollars;

(3) For printing of brief, exclusive of any appendix thereto, when printed to conform to the rules of the Supreme Court, not to exceed two dollars and fifty cents per page, or for reproduction of brief by other approved method, not to exceed fifteen cents per page times the number of necessary copies not to exceed twenty unless necessary to meet service and filing requirements, provided that the costs taxed for printing or reproducing a brief shall not exceed the actual cost thereof, which actual cost is to be evidenced by an affidavit of counsel setting out the necessary number of briefs reproduced, the number of pages per brief, and the actual per page cost;

(4) The cost of the original and two copies of the transcript necessarily procured for the purpose of an appeal record, if the same has not heretofore been taxed as costs in the trial court, such cost to be evidenced by a copy of the reporter‘s bill and an affidavit of counsel stating that the cost of the transcript has not been taxed in the trial court; and

(5) When a judgment is affirmed the court may, in its discretion, also award damages for the delay, not to exceed ten percent of the amount of the judgment.

Source: SDC 1939, § 33.0712; SL 1951, ch 184; SL 1961, ch 180; SL 1980, ch 167, § 1; Supreme Court Rule 85-1; SL 1992, ch 367 (Supreme Court Rule 92-2).