Colorado Attorney Costs Law Not Applicable in Federal Court

Costs awarded to a real estate investment trust for electronic legal research and attorney travel costs violate a federal rule when applied in a diversity jurisdiction case and should be vacated and recalculated, the Tenth Circuit ruled Monday.

After 10 years of litigation, a federal district court granted summary judgment in favor of Archstone-Smith Operating Trust. A class of minority shareholders accused the company of breach of contract and fiduciary duties in the wake of a merger that required minority shareholders to sell their units.

On appeal, the U.S Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit upheld the judgment, deciding ...