Can self-represented litigants be denied recovery of costs?

Ontario, Canada


The following excerpt is from Geremia v. Harb, 2008 CanLII 19764 (ON SC):

[70] “Quite apart from authority and as a matter of principle, it seems to me to be difficult to justify a categorical rule denying recovery of costs by self-represented litigants . . . modern cost rules are designed to foster three fundamental purposes: (1) to indemnify successful litigants for the cost of litigation; (2) to encourage settlements; and (3) to discourage and sanction inappropriate behaviour by litigants. It seems to me that all three purposes are fostered by allowing the trial judge a discretion to award costs to self-represented litigants”: Fong v. Chan, supra, at paragraph [22].

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