Romano and Lindfield (No. 2)

In *Romano and Lindfield (No. 2)*, Harper J of the Family Court of Australia considered an application for costs following parenting proceedings between Ms Romano (the applicant mother) and Mr Lindfield (the respondent father). The dispute concerned parenting arrangements for the parties' child, and the final orders made by the court aligned with interim orders from 2016 and an offer of settlement previously made by the mother.

The primary legal issue before the court was whether the father should be ordered to pay the mother's costs, and if so, on what basis and in what amount. This involved assessing the father's conduct throughout the proceedings and the mother's success in achieving a favourable outcome. The court also considered the father's failure to file any material in relation to costs.

Harper J reasoned that the father had been wholly unsuccessful in the parenting proceedings. The court noted the unchallenged evidence presented by the mother regarding the father's assets, which established a justification for a costs award at a level higher than standard party-party costs. Consequently, the court ordered the father to pay the mother's costs, fixing the sum at $50,000.