In Barnhart v. Kron (1891) 88 Cal. 447, the appellant asserted that the respondent, who was one of two defendants, should only have been allowed to recover costs incurred by him separately and not those incurred by both defendants or separately by the other defendant. The reviewing court held that sorting out what services did or did not benefit the respondent was a matter for the trial court's discretion because the trial court knew the issues, the character of the prosecution and defense, and whether there was any value in some respect or manner to the respondent of the items he claimed as costs.