Under usual costs rules, who bears the costs?

• A. The unsuccessful party pays the winner's costs
• B. The winner pays the costs
• C. The court pays the costs
• D. Costs are shared

Answer: (A)

In usual costs rules, the party who loses bears the other side’s costs—the costs follow the event. This means the unsuccessful party pays the winner’s costs, rather than the winner paying their own costs or the court paying them. The court can order a different arrangement in some cases, but the default position is that the losing side covers the winning side’s costs.