SOMERS & SOMERS

In *Somers & Somers*, the Family Court of Australia considered an application for costs following family law proceedings. The dispute concerned the financial affairs of the parties, and the court was tasked with determining the appropriate cost orders to be made.

The central legal issue before the court was whether there were circumstances justifying an order for costs against one party in favour of the other. This required the court to assess the conduct of the parties throughout the litigation and consider whether any party had acted in a manner that warranted a departure from the usual rule that parties bear their own costs.

His Honour, Cronin J, reasoned that the mother's conduct during the proceedings justified an order for costs in favour of the father. While the specific reasons for this finding are not detailed in the provided text, the decision indicates that the court applied principles of cost orders in family law matters, which often consider factors such as the reasonableness of a party's actions, the extent to which they contributed to the length or complexity of the proceedings, and the overall justice of the case.

Ultimately, the court ordered that the mother pay the father’s costs of and incidental to the proceedings, fixed in the sum of $60,000.