Costs order
Plain-English definitions for England and Wales. General information, not legal advice. Laws and figures change - always check the current position on GOV.UK.
Costs order An order that one party pay some of the other side's costs. In employment tribunals each side normally bears its own costs, so a costs order is the exception - typically where a party (or their representative) acted vexatiously, unreasonably, or pursued a claim with no reasonable prospect of success.
Also known as: costs award
Related terms
- Deposit order
- An order that a party pay a deposit (up to a statutory maximum per allegation) as a condition of being allowed to continue with a specific claim or argument the tribunal considers has little reasonable prospect of success. It is a warning about costs risk, not a penalty in itself.
- Employment tribunal
- An independent judicial body in England and Wales that decides disputes between employees or workers and employers - such as unfair dismissal, discrimination and unpaid wages. Hearings are less formal than the civil courts and each side usually pays its own costs.
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