| Court: | WI Supreme Court |
| Facts: | The Pierces leased a home for $1K/mo + $200/mo worth of maintenance. After they moved out, the security deposit was witheld, on the theory that they hadn't done the maintenance. Lawsuits galore. |
| Posture: | A lot. Suits. Motions. Etc. In the end, the trial court grants costs to the Pierces, but finds their $14K attorney bill to be excessive, and reduces it to $3875. With costs of $1178, and double damages of $222 (up from $111), the grand total is $5275.12. Appeal. |
| Issue: | Did the court calculate properly? |
| Holding: | Yes. And we're not awarding appellate fees or costs. |
| Rule: | The court has to follow a rational and reasoned decision-making process. They did. |
| Reasoning: | Factors to be considered, etc. A $125 hourly rate is appropriate. |
| Dicta: | The policy here is to discourage protracted litigation by assigning costs. |