Queensland University of Technology administrative assistant Cindy Prior, who unsuccessfully tried to sue three students under 18c of the Racial Discrimination Act, has been ordered to pay costs of about $200,000.
Federal Court judge Michael Jarrett on Friday in Brisbane made the order against Ms Prior while dismissing costs against her lawyer Susan Moriarty who was in turn awarded costs for having to defend herself.
Costs of about $100,000 were awarded in total to Tony Morris QC, who defended Calum Thwaites and Jackson Powell, while the compensation to Alex Wood's barrister Michael Henry is believed to be about $100,000.
Judge Jarrett awarded standard costs against Ms Prior for Mr Morris but standard costs and indemnity costs against Ms Prior for Mr Henry after she failed to accept an apology from Mr Wood in March this year.
"I am of the view that the refusal of the offer was imprudent," Judge Jarrett said.
Judge Jarrett threw out Ms Prior's $250,000 lawsuit in November after he found she did not have reasonable prospects of successfully bringing a racial hatred case against the trio.
Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act makes it unlawful for anyone to "offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate" another person or group on the grounds of race, colour or ethnicity.
Ms Prior had argued she was unable to continue working face-to-face with white people following a series of Facebook posts made after Mr Wood was asked to leave an indigenous-only computer lab at the QUT in 2013.
'Just got kicked out of the unsigned indigenous computer room. QUT stopping segregation with segregation,' he wrote.
The post attracted a number of responses, including one from Mr Powell who wrote: 'I wonder where the white supremacist computer lab is.'
Mr Thwaites is alleged to have written 'ITT niggers' but that was not proven and he has denied being responsible for the post.
AAPÂ