Victoria University of Wellington has lost an appeal against having to pay costs and disbursements of more than $181,000 to a former professor after an Employment Court case.
Former education faculty professor Adrienne Alton-Lee was awarded the costs by Chief Judge Goddard as a sequel to a case last year in
which she was granted $90,000 in damages for a breach of her employment contract by the university.
The Court of Appeal said it dismissed the university's appeal with some hesitation, as the way in which the Chief Judge arrived at the costs amount was unorthodox.
However, the result seemed to be within the range of reasonable outcomes.
The apparent absence of a serious attempt by the university to settle the dispute was a consideration, particularly when there was evidence indicating a desire by Dr Alton-Lee to seek a resolution.
"Unorthodox methods of calculation, a perhaps simplistic analysis of who won and who lost the case, and a criticism of the university which is not really reflective of the findings made in the primary judgment are not, in themselves, errors in law," said the Court of Appeal.
It awarded Dr Alton-Lee further costs of $5000.
- NZPA
