The woman ordered to pay almost $30,000 to a man a High Court judge agrees likely abused her for years says she's overwhelmed and devastated.
Speaking through tears, Mariya Taylor told 1 NEWS that she has taken the court order "really badly".
"It's just absolutely awful, I wouldn't want anybody to be in my shoes right now," she said.
"Emotionally, I'm just drained and mentally, I'm not coping very well at the moment."
Ms Taylor was told by the High Court to pay Robert Roper $27,819.25 in costs.
It comes after she went to court saying the Air Force didn't protect her from being bullied, verbally abused, sexually harassed, touched and falsely imprisoned by him.
She said it happened while she was enlisted in the 1980s.
Justice Edwards would later say "there can be no dispute Roper's conduct towards Ms Taylor was heinous" and "he likely committed the acts alleged".
However, the case was dismissed because it fell outside the Limitations Act, which prescribes the time that can pass for such a case.
Justice Edwards said in her ruling that refusing costs would run counter to the policies and integrity underpinning the costs regime.
Ms Taylor's lawyer told 1 NEWS they believe she had a good case.
"She's in this unfortunate position of having lost due to some tricky legal technical issues," Geraldine Whiteford said.
"For us, it's a terribly bad precedent for other victims of abuse who are considering using the legal system to seek justice. It's a really bad precedent."
Ms Whiteford said they took the case knowing it fell outside the Limitations Act, because cases are allowed if a disability stopped them being brought earlier.
Ms Taylor's lawyers are now deciding whether to appeal against the latest court ruling.
She says she's grateful for the New Zealand public "standing behind" her.
- By Kim Baker Wilson
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