Rule 54.Judgments: Costs

Part VII. Judgment · Last amended September 1, 1981 · Last verified September 4, 2026

In one sentenceRule 54 defines what a judgment is, controls partial judgments in multi-claim cases, and taxes deposition costs — but drops the civil rule's provisions on the demand for judgment, costs generally, and interest.

Full Text of Rule 54

Text sizeJump to: (a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

(a) Definition; Form. The terms "judgment" and "final judgment" include a decree and mean the act of the trial court finally adjudicating the rights of the parties affected by the judgment, including:

(1) judgments entered under Rule 50(b) and Rule 52(a) and (b);

(2) judgments entered under Rule 58 upon a general verdict of a jury, or upon a decision by the court that a party shall recover only a sum certain or costs or that all relief shall be denied, or upon a special verdict under Rule 49(a) or a general verdict accompanied by answers to interrogatories under Rule 49(b). A judgment shall not contain a recital of pleadings, the report of a master or the record of prior proceedings. (Identical to Mass.R.Civ.P. 54(a))

(b) Judgment Upon Multiple Claims or Involving Multiple Parties. When more than one claim for relief is presented in an action, whether as a claim, counterclaim, cross-claim, or third-party claim, or when multiple parties are involved, the court may direct the entry of a final judgment as to one or more but fewer than all of the claims or parties only upon an express determination that there is no just reason for delay and upon an express direction for the entry of judgment. In the absence of such determination and direction, any order or other form of decision, however designated, which adjudicates fewer than all the claims or the rights and liabilities of fewer than all the parties shall not terminate the action as to any of the claims or parties, and the order or other form of decision is subject to revision at any time before the entry of judgment adjudicating all the claims and the rights and liabilities of all the parties. (Identical to Mass.R.Civ.P. 54(b))

(d) Deleted.

(e) Costs on Depositions. The taxation of costs in the taking of depositions, including audio-visual depositions, shall be subject to the discretion of the court, but in no event shall costs be allowed unless the court finds that the taking of the deposition was reasonably necessary, whether or not the deposition was actually used at the trial. Taxable costs may include the cost of service of subpoena upon the deponent, the reasonable fees of the officer before whom the deposition is taken, the fees and mileage allowances of the witnesses, the stenographer's reasonable fee for attendance, and the cost of the transcript of the testimony or such part thereof as the court may fix. When an audio -visual deposition is taken, taxable costs may include a reasonable fee for the use of the audio-visual equipment and for the services of the operator both in recording the deposition and editing it. (Identical to Mass.R.Civ.P. 54(e) as amended January 1, 1981)

End

Rule History

Amended effective September 1, 1981.

Comments

Rule 54(c) (demand for judgment) and Rule 54(d) (costs) have been deleted as inapplicable to Domestic Relations practice. Rule 54(e) was amended in 1981 to incorporate an amendment to the Massachusetts Rules of Civil Procedure by reference.

Plain-English Summary

Rule 54 keeps three of the civil rule's six subsections and deletes or omits the other three. The Comments block at the end of the rule explains two of the removals.

What a judgment is

"Judgment" and "final judgment" include a decree and mean the act of the trial court finally adjudicating the rights of the parties. A judgment shall not contain a recital of pleadings, the report of a master or the record of prior proceedings — it is the operative act, not a narrative of how the court got there.

Read the cross-references in (a)(1) and (a)(2) against this ruleset's own contents. They point to Rule 50(b), Rule 49(a) and Rule 49(b) — all of which are deleted here, along with the general verdict of a jury that (a)(2) mentions. The text is inherited from the civil rule, and the surviving live reference is to Rule 52(a) and (b) and Rule 58.

Partial judgments

Subsection (b) is the one that decides whether an order is appealable yet. Where there is more than one claim or multiple parties, the court may direct entry of final judgment as to fewer than all of them only upon an express determination that there is no just reason for delay and an express direction for the entry of judgment.

Without both, an order adjudicating fewer than all the claims or parties does not terminate the action as to any of them, and remains subject to revision at any time before the entry of a judgment disposing of everything.

What is missing

Subsections (c) and (d) are deleted. The Comments say why: the civil rule's demand for judgment provision and its general costs provision were deleted as inapplicable to domestic relations practice. There is also no counterpart here to the civil rule's subsection on interest on money judgments.

Deposition costs

Subsection (e) survives and is worth knowing. Taxation of deposition costs, including audio-visual depositions, is discretionary — but in no event allowed unless the court finds the taking of the deposition was reasonably necessary, whether or not it was actually used at trial. Taxable costs may include service of the subpoena, the officer's reasonable fees, witness fees and mileage, the stenographer's attendance fee, and the transcript or the part of it the court fixes. For an audio-visual deposition they may include a reasonable fee for the equipment and for the operator's services in both recording and editing.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is a judgment on one claim final in a multi-claim case?

Only where the court makes an express determination that there is no just reason for delay and an express direction for the entry of judgment. Without both, Rule 54(b) provides that the order does not terminate the action as to any claim or party and remains subject to revision at any time before entry of a judgment adjudicating everything.

Can I recover the cost of a deposition I never used?

Possibly. Rule 54(e) allows taxation of deposition costs in the court's discretion, but bars any allowance unless the court finds that the taking of the deposition was reasonably necessary — whether or not the deposition was actually used at the trial.

What can be taxed for a video deposition?

Rule 54(e) allows a reasonable fee for the use of the audio-visual equipment and for the services of the operator, both in recording the deposition and in editing it, alongside the ordinary items of service, officer's fees, witness fees and mileage, stenographer's attendance and transcript.

Does Rule 54 cover costs generally?

No. Rule 54(c) and (d) are deleted, and the Comments to the rule state that the demand-for-judgment and costs provisions were deleted as inapplicable to domestic relations practice. Deposition costs under Rule 54(e) are what remains.

Source & verification. Rule text, Rule History and Comments reproduced verbatim from the Massachusetts Rules of Domestic Relations Procedure as published by the Massachusetts Trial Court Law Libraries, current through amendments effective May 1, 2010. Promulgated by the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. Last verified September 4, 2026. · Official text

Also known as: judgmentscostsfinal judgmentpartial judgmentno just reason for delaydeposition costs54(b)