Case Name: CASH DISTRIBUTING COMPANY, INC., Appellant Cross-Appellee v. James NEELY, Appellee Cross-Appellant
Court: Mississippi Court of Appeals
Jurisdiction: Mississippi
Decision Date: 2006-01-03
Citations: 947 So. 2d 317
Docket Number: No. 2004-CA-01124-COA
Parties: CASH DISTRIBUTING COMPANY, INC., Appellant Cross-Appellee v. James NEELY, Appellee Cross-Appellant.
Judges: KING, C.J., LEE AND MYERS, P.J., AND ISHEE, J., CONCUR. GRIFFIS, J., DISSENTS WITH SEPARATE WRITTEN OPINION JOINED BY CHANDLER AND BARNES, JJ.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 947
Pages: 317–341

Head Matter:
CASH DISTRIBUTING COMPANY, INC., Appellant Cross-Appellee v. James NEELY, Appellee Cross-Appellant.
No. 2004-CA-01124-COA.
Court of Appeals of Mississippi.
Jan. 3, 2006.
Rehearing Denied May 2, 2006.
Katherine S. Kerby, Columbus, attorney for appellant.
Rodney A. Ray, J. Douglas Ford, for attorneys for appellee.

Opinion:
IRVING, J.,
for the Court.
¶ 1. James Neely sued Cash Distributing Company (Cash) on a federal age discrimination claim under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, 29 U.S.C. § 621-634, (ADEA), and was awarded $120,000 by a jury. Cash appeals, and Neely cross-appeals the deci sion. Cash argues that (1) it is entitled to a judgment notwithstanding the verdict because Neely failed to negate its age-neutral reasons for terminating his employment, and (2) the $120,000 award should be offset by $208,896.66. Neely contends that the trial court erred in (1) not granting a new trial on damages or granting an additur to the amount awarded by the jury, (2) failing to make an award of front pay, (3) failing to award prejudgment interest, (4) failing to award attorney's fees and costs, and (5) failing to award post-judgment interest on the jury verdict.
¶ 2. Finding error, we affirm in part, grant an additur, and reverse and remand in part.
FACTS
¶ 3. At the time of his termination, Neely worked for Cash as the general sales manager of Cash's Columbus, Mississippi office. At that time, Neely had worked for Cash for more than twenty-five years and was sixty years old. After he was fired, Neely sued Cash, alleging three state law claims and one federal claim. All the state claims were dismissed prior to trial by Neely, who continued on the basis of the ADEA claim. The jury found in favor of Neely, and awarded him $120,000 in back pay. The jury also specifically found that Cash's actions were not willful. Both Neely and Cash appeal. Additional facts will be stated during the discussion of the issues.
ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF THE ISSUES
A. Issues on Direct Appeal
1. Age-neutral reasons for termination
¶ 4. When reviewing the denial of a motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict, we consider the evidence in a light most favorable to the non-moving party (in this case, Neely). We also give the non-moving party the "benefit of all favorable inference [sic] that may be reasonably drawn from the evidence." SM Co. v. Johnson, 895 So.2d 151, 160 (¶ 30) (Miss.2005) (quoting Munford, Inc. v. Fleming, 597' So.2d 1282, 1284 (Miss.1992)). We will reverse only if the evidence "points so overwhelmingly in favor of the moving party [ in this case, Cash] that reasonable jurors" could not have found in favor of the non-moving party. Id.
¶5. At trial, Cash argued that Neely's employment was terminated because he was a poor employee who neglected to follow direct instructions given by his superior. Among other things, Cash argued that Neely failed to perform required evaluations, failed to prepare weekly reports, failed to do daily sales calls, and refused to follow orders given to him by Cash's CEO, Danny Cash. Another factor alleged as part of the reason for Neely's termination was the finding of out-of-date beer on another employee's route. On appeal, Cash argues that the judgment in this case should be reversed because Neely failed to refute all these age-neutral reasons for his termination. Neely responds that the out-of-date beer was initially used as a pretext for Neely's termination, and that Cash later fabricated the reason that Neely was a poor employee after Neely filed his lawsuit against Cash.
¶ 6. We find that Neely produced substantial evidence from which the jury could have inferred that Danny wanted to fire Neely due to Neely's age. The responsibility of determining what evidence is credible and what is not is the proper province of the jury. Doe v. Stegall, 757 So.2d 201, 205 (¶ 12) (Miss.2000) (citing Jackson v. Daley, 739 So.2d 1031, 1039 (¶ 29) (Miss.1999)). After hearing all the evidence presented by both Cash and Neely, the jury chose to decide in favor of Neely. We find our reliance on the judgment of the juiy substantiated by a United States Supreme Court case addressing an ADEA claim, Reeves v. Sanderson Plumbing Prod's, Inc., 530 U.S. 133, 153, 120 S.Ct. 2097, 147 L.Ed.2d 105 (2000). In that case, after the Fifth Circuit reversed a jury award in favor of the plaintiff, the Supreme Court stated that "the Court of Appeals impermissibly substituted its judgment concerning the weight of the evidence for the jury's." Id. Given the evidence presented in the case sub judice, we find that reversal would require us to also impermissibly substitute our judgment for the jury's.
¶ 7. Cash argues that Neely must specifically rebut each age-neutral reason given by Cash for Neely's termination. We look to Reeves once more for guidance. Reeves holds that, once a plaintiff has established a prima facie case of discrimination (which Neely did), the burden shifts to the defendant to establish a non-dis criminatory reason for termination (which Cash did). Id. at 142, 120 S.Ct. 2097 (citing Texas Dep't of Cmty. Affairs v. Burdine, 450 U.S. 248, 252-53, 101 S.Ct. 1089, 67 L.Ed.2d 207 (1981)). Once the defendant has established a non-discriminatory reason, the burden is on the plaintiff to show that the "reasons offered by the defendant were not its true reasons, but were a pretext for discrimination." Id. at 143, 120 S.Ct. 2097 (quoting Burdine, 450 U.S. at 253, 101 S.Ct. 1089). In other words, the plaintiff "may attempt to establish that he was the victim of intentional discrimination 'by showing that the employer's proffered explanation is unworthy of credence.' " Id. (citing Burdine, 450 U.S. at 256, 101 S.Ct. 1089).
¶ 8. Although Neely did not rebut each of Cash's offered non-discriminatory reasons by proving that he did not do them, he did present evidence that other younger employees, guilty of the same infractions, received far different treatment. We also note that the Mississippi Employment Security Commission, when considering Neely's claim for unemployment benefits, specifically found that "[t]he team leader over the driver who was under [Neely's] supervision was not discharged, but did have the same responsibilities of making sure that the products were routed within the company's expiration period." This unequal treatment goes directly to the credibility of Cash's non-discriminatory reasons. The court explained in Reeves that "the trier of fact can reasonably infer from the falsity of the explanation [for termination of employment] that the employer is dissembling to cover up a discriminatory purpose. Such an inference is consistent with the general principle of evidence law that the factfinder is entitled to consider a party's dishonesty about a material fact as 'affirmative evidence of guilt.' " Id. at 147, 120 S.Ct. 2097. The unequal treatment combined with other evidence presented by Neely, such as his success at his job and impeachment of Cash's witnesses, was sufficient for the jury to find that Cash's non-discriminatory reasons were mere pretextual. We note that the jury was instructed that Neely "must show by a preponderance of the evidence that each of the employer's 'age neutral' stated reasons are pretextual or false." Even after having been so instructed, the jury found in favor of Neely, lending support for the notion that the jury clearly believed that each of the nondiscriminatory reasons offered by Cash for Neely's termination had been rebutted.
¶ 9. Our study of the record does not show that the jury's decision was so contrary to the evidence that no reasonable jury could have come to that conclusion. Cash's first issue is without merit.
(2) Setoff
¶ 10. In its second issue, Cash argues that it should be entitled to a setoff of $208,896.66 against Neely's judgment because of the actual retirement benefits received by Neely after his termination. Whether Cash is entitled to a setoff is a question of law; therefore, we review the trial judge's decision, denying a setoff, de novo.
¶ 11. In Rhodes v. Guiberson Oil Tools, 82 F.3d 615, 620 (5th Cir.1996), the Fifth Circuit expressly stated that "[t]he present value of a plaintiffs interest in a pension plan is recoverable as an element of damages under the ADEA." Id. (citing Hukkanen v. Int'l Union of Operating Eng'rs, 3 F.3d 281, 286-87 (8th Cir.1993); Loeb v. Textron, Inc., 600 F.2d 1003, 1021 (1st Cir.1979)). In other words, Neely was clearly entitled to receive the benefit of his pension plan.
¶ 12. The issue in Rhodes was deduction of pension money already paid from a total sum of pension money awarded. In Rhodes, the plaintiff estimated the value of his pension plan, had it been received at age sixty-five. The court held that the present value of that amount should be awarded to the plaintiff, with the amount of pension money already paid deducted. Id. at 620-21. For example, if the plaintiff was entitled to $500,000 (the value of his pension plan when he was terminated plus the value of the plan from termination to age sixty-five), and the plaintiff had already been paid $200,000 by his former employer for the value of the pension plan at termination, the plaintiff would be unjustly enriched by $200,000 if he were awarded the full $500,000. In that situation, a deduction or credit would have to be made for the $200,000 already paid.
¶ 13. In the present case, Neely did not request, and the jury did not award, any damages for lost pension. The $120,000 awarded to Neely was solely for back pay. Since Neely is entitled to receive the value of his pension plan as of termination ($208,896.66) as well as back pay, there is no justification for deducting the previously-paid pension amount from the jury award. Cash would be entitled to a credit or deduction against the jury award only if Neely had received damages for loss of pension. That did not occur in this case. Accordingly, we find that Cash is not entitled to any setoff. Cash's second issue is therefore without merit.
B. Issues on Cross-Appeal
(1) New trial on damages or additur to verdict
¶ 14. Mississippi Code Annotated section 11-1-55 states:
The supreme court or any other court of record in a case in which money damages were awarded may overrule a motion for new trial or affirm on direct or cross appeal, upon condition of an addi-tur or remittitur, if the court finds that the damages are excessive or inadequate for the reason that the jury or trier of the facts was influenced by bias, prejudice, or passion, or that the damages awarded were contrary to the overwhelming weight of credible evidence. If such additur or remittitur be not accepted then the court may direct a new trial on damages only. If the additur or remittitur is accepted and the other party perfects a direct appeal, then the party accepting the additur or remittitur shall have the right to cross appeal for the purpose of reversing the action of the court in regard to the additur or remittitur.
Miss.Code Ann. § 11-1-55 (Rev.2002). In other words, we may order an additur if we find that the damages awarded to Neely were inadequate because the jury was "influenced by bias, prejudice, or passion, or that the damages awarded were contrary to the overwhelming weight of the credible evidence."
¶ 15. The decision of whether to grant an additur or remittitur is determined on a "case-by-case basis." Entergy Mississippi, Inc. v. Bolden, 854 So.2d 1051, 1058 (¶ 20) (Miss.2003) (citing Biloxi Elec. Co. v. Thorn, 264 So.2d 404, 405 (Miss.1972)). "We will not disturb a jury's award of damages unless its size, in comparison to the actual amount of damage, shocks the conscience." Id. (citing City of Jackson v. Locklar, 431 So.2d 475, 481 (Miss.1983)). When reviewing the .decision of the lower court, we will not reverse unless we find that there was an abuse of discretion on the part of the trial judge in denying an additur. Id. (citing Odom v. Roberts, 606 So.2d 114, 121 (Miss.1992)).
¶ 16. Neely, as the party seeking an additur, bears the burden of proving that an additur is required. We view the evidence in the case in a light most favorable to Cash when determining whether an additur is required. Gaines v. K-Mart Corp., 860 So.2d 1214, 1220 (¶ 21) (Miss.2003) (citing Rodgers v. Pascagoula Pub. Sch. Disk, 611 So.2d 942, 945 (Miss.1992)).
¶ 17. Neely argues that we should order an additur because the jury's award was against the overwhelming weight of the uncontradicted evidence of his damages. Neely points out that Cash admitted in its court filings that he was entitled to $178,754 in back pay if he won at trial. Neely further contends that he offered proof of lost retirement and insurance benefits that entitles him to an additional $54,000 in damages, for a total additur of $112,754. Therefore, Neely contends that we should grant an additur on either the basis of jury prejudice or a finding that the jury's award was against the overwhelming weight of the evidence.
¶ 18. After reviewing all the evidence available to us, we believe that the decision of the jury to award Neely only $120,000 in back pay was against the overwhelming weight of evidence, and therefore, we order an additur of $58,754. This number reflects the difference between' the actual amount awarded by the jury and the amount conceded as proper back pay by Cash itself in its trial brief. We also direct the court below, on remand, to grant additional additur in any amount necessary to make Neely whole, as long as that amount is supported by the evidence presented in the case. Cash will have ten days from the date of this judgment from which to appeal this additur.
¶ 19. In its trial brief, Cash carefully calculated Neely's wages and came to a figure of back pay of $178,754. After scouring the record, we can find no basis for the jury's award of only $120,000. In its appeal brief, Cash offers a clearly incorrect mathematical explanation for the jury award. The jury in this case was instructed that back pay was to be awarded for the period between March 3, 2000 (the date of Neely's termination), and February 14, 2004 (the date of trial). Contrary to Cash's assertion that Neely is entitled to thirty-five months of back pay, the period of entitlement is forty-seven months. Therefore, we find no basis in the evidence for the amount awarded by the jury, and order an additur in the amount of $58,754 to make Neely whole, as required by the ADEA.
¶ 20. We also direct that the court below make a finding as to any additional additur that is required to make Neely whole. The jury in this case was clearly instructed to take into account not only lost wages, but other benefits, when awarding back pay: "if you find for the plaintiff, you shall award damages in the form of back pay . including lost wages and benefits (pension, insurance and vacation)." The additur we have ordered of $58,754 takes into account only the lost wages that were missing from the award of back pay. On remand, the court should consider what additur, if any, is required to reimburse Neely for lost insurance and vacation benefits.
(¾) All of Neely's other issues
¶ 21. Before addressing these issues, we emphasize the purpose of the ADEA, which is to make a successful plaintiff as whole as possible: "A primary remedial purpose of the ADEA is to make the individual victim of discrimination whole." Julian v. City of Houston, 314 F.3d 721, 728 (5th Cir.2002) (citing Reneau v. Wayne Griffin & Sons, Inc., 945 F.2d 869, 870 (5th Cir.1991)). In attempting to make a plaintiff whole, there are numerous remedies available, including back pay, front pay, lost benefits, prejudgment interest, post-judgment interest, attorney's fees and costs, reinstatement, and liquidated damages. Most of these damages (prejudgment interest, post-judgment interest, and attorney's fees, for example) are determined by the judge after the jury has returned its verdict and award amount. The standard of review for the grant or denial of most of these remedies is abuse of discretion.
¶ 22. The court in the present case said very little in its order denying Neely's (and Cash's) post-trial motions. The language of the order, in its entirety, is as follows:
Comes now the Court in the above styled and numbered cause, upon the Plaintiffs Motions for New Trial on Damages or, in the Alternative for an Additur and Posh-Trial Motions to Alter or Amend Judgment to Provide for PreJudgment Interest, for Front Pay, for an Award of Attorney Fees and Costs and for Post-Judgment Interest and the Defendant's Motion for an Offset, and the Court having reviewed arguments from counsel, finds that said motions should be denied. The parties shall have from the date of the filing of this order to perfect their appeal.
There is no explanation in this order for the denial of additur, postjudgment interest, prejudgment interest, front pay, or attorney's fees (all of which are available remedies in order to make an ADEA plain tiff whole). In his appeal, Neely alleges that the court below erred in denying him front pay, prejudgment interest, attorney's fees, and postjudgment interest. Due to the lack of information in the court's order explaining its decision, we reverse and remand to the trial court for further findings concerning its reasoning for denying all these remedies.
¶ 23. Front pay is an equitable remedy which is usually given when the ADEA's preferred remedy of reinstatement is impracticable. Tyler v. Union Oil Co. of California, 304 F.3d 379, 402 (5th Cir.2002). It is calculated from the date of judgment to the normal retirement age to compensate the plaintiff for wages and benefits he would have received in the future if not for the employee's termination. Id. In Julian, 314 F.3d at 728-29, the Fifth Circuit held that front pay should be awarded as long as reinstatement or instatement is not a feasible remedy: "In a failure to promote case, the preferred remedy is instatement to an illegally denied position, not reinstatement. If instatement is not feasible, however, front pay is the appropriate award." While Neely's case is not a failure to promote case, the reasoning behind this language in Julian is equally applicable to Neely's case. When instatement or reinstatement is not a feasible remedy, front pay should be awarded in order to make a successful plaintiff whole. The only exception to this that the Fifth Circuit notes is cases with "substantial liquidated damages." Id. at 729-30. Neely was awarded no liquidated damages, so there is no possibility that allowing an award of front pay will render his award of damages "inappropriate or excessive." Id. at 730. Although we are remanding this issue to the court below for further explanation and determination as to the propriety of an award of front pay, we note that reinstatement would seem to be an impossible remedy at this point: Neely is seeking front pay for the time between the close of trial and his retirement at age sixty-five, a time that has come and passed during the course of this appeal. We realize that it is at the discretion of the trial court to award front pay, but without any explanation before us as to the court's reason for denying front pay, we find that it is impossible to determine whether the court abused its discretion in refusing to award Neely front pay.
¶ 24. Prejudgment interest is also a common remedy used to make an ADEA plaintiff whole. In this context, the Fifth Circuit has noted that: "an award of prejudgment interest is generally considered consistent with the purpose of the ADEA to make the plaintiff whole.... " Rhodes, 82 F.3d at 623-24. Prejudgment interest is generally denied when a plaintiff is awarded liquidated damages. "In an ADEA case where liquidated damages are awarded, a court may not award prejudgment interest...." McCann v. Texas City Ref., Inc., 984 F.2d 667, 673 (5th Cir.1993). The Fifth Circuit also noted in Rhodes that "the decision whether to award prejudgment interest is within the sound discretion of the [lower] court." Rhodes, 82 F.3d at 624. In Rhodes, however, it is clear that the lower court had specifically found that the plaintiff was made whole without the grant of prejudgment interest. "The district court found that Rhodes was made whole without an award of prejudgment interest." Id. (emphasis added). Therefore, we reverse and remand the trial court's denial of prejudgment interest. On remand, the trial court should consider whether prejudgment interest is required to make Neely whole, consistent with the remedial purposes of the ADEA.
¶ 25. The Fifth Circuit has strongly suggested that reasonable attorney's fees and costs should be awarded to a success ful ADEA plaintiff. "The ADEA, by reference to the FLSA, mandates that a district court award attorneys' fees to a plaintiff who is a 'prevailing party.' The court has discretion in deciding what is reasonable." Tyler, 304 F.3d at 404 (citing Purcell v. Seguin State Bank & Trust Co., 999 F.2d 950, 961 (5th Cir.1993)). Given this strong and seemingly unambiguous language from the Fifth Circuit, we strongly suggest that, on remand, the trial court give serious consideration to whether attorney's fees should be awarded to Neely to make him whole. The court should also consider what costs of litigation, if any, should be awarded to Neely as damages in order to satisfy the remedial purposes of the ADEA.
¶26. Post-judgment interest on the jury's award is required by Mississippi statutory law: "All other judgments or decrees shall bear interest at a per annum rate set by the judge hearing the complaint from a date determined by such judge to be fair but in no event prior to the filing of the complaint." Miss.Code Ann. § 75-17-7 (Rev.2000). Cash argues that the language "to be fair" indicates that the grant or denial of post-judgment interest is solely at the judge's discretion. We disagree; the "to be fair" qualifies the date used for awarding interest. It does not clothe the trial judge with the discretion to award or not to award interest. The language of the statute indicates that post-judgment interest should be given, at a rate subject to the discretion of the court. On remand, the trial judge shall award post-judgment interest in the amount he deems appropriate in this case.
¶ 27. In summary, we affirm the decision of the court below as to Cash's direct appeal. We also affirm the court's decision regarding the first issue in Neely's cross-appeal, provided that an additur in the amount of $58,754 is accepted by Cash. We reverse the trial court's denial of Neely's post-trial motion, seeking prejudgment and post-judgment interest, loss of insurance benefits, front pay, and attorney's fees and remand for further proceedings consistent with this opinion. If Cash refuses to accept the additur ordered herein, the trial court shall grant Neely a new trial on damages only.
¶ 28. THE JUDGMENT OF THE CIRCUIT COURT OF LOWNDES COUNTY IS AFFIRMED ON DIRECT APPEAL, AND AFFIRMED IN PART, AND REVERSED AND REMANDED IN PART ON CROSS-APPEAL. ALL COSTS OF THIS APPEAL ARE ASSESSED TO THE APPELLANT.
KING, C.J., LEE AND MYERS, P.J., AND ISHEE, J., CONCUR. GRIFFIS, J., DISSENTS WITH SEPARATE WRITTEN OPINION JOINED BY CHANDLER AND BARNES, JJ.
. Cash distributes Anheuser-Busch beer.
. Had the jury found that Cash's conduct was willful, Neely would have been able to pursue liquidated damages under the ADEA. Id. at § 626(b).
. We will refer to Danny Cash as simply "Danny" in order to avoid confusion.
. The beer that Cash distributes is all dated, and Anheuser-Busch has a zero-tolerance policy for out-of-date beer. Therefore, out-of-date beer is supposed to be discovered and removed from the market.
. Cash also seems to assert that Neely was fired simply because of a corporate reorganization, and that this reorganization was a substantial non-discriminatory reason for Neely's termination. We find this argument without merit. No witness, including Cash's acting president, testified that Neely was fired because of a corporate reorganization. The mere fact that reorganization occurred after Neely's termination is not sufficient. The original answer by Cash to Neely's complaint makes no mention of the corporate reorganization, and Cash's motion for summary judgment does not address any reorganization. The first time the reorganization is even mentioned as a reason is a brief sentence in Cash's motion for a judgment as a matter of law, after trial. Any evidence produced concerning the reorganization during witness testimony went to the jury and was taken into account by it in rendering its verdict.
. The Mississippi Employment Security Commission agreed with Neely, and stated in its findings of fact that "[the out-of-date beer] was an isolated incident." The Commission found that Neely had been discharged for unsatisfactory job performance, but did not find that Neely's actions rose to the level of "misconduct . as that term is used in the law."
. Neely proved that Danny was the only person against Neely's promotion to general manager in 1996. A 1998 memo from Danny to Neely informed Neely that Cash "is not a social security system" (implying that Neely had his job on the basis of seniority and not ability). When speaking of older employees in July 2000, Danny described those employees as "riding their time out." Danny testified at trial that that was his "train of thought" concerning Neely. Various witnesses testified that out-of-date beer — which formed the pretext for Neely's termination— was not uncommon and was regularly turned in by Cash's employees. Witness testimony also indicated that out-of-date beer was discovered on routes under the direction of other employees, none of whom were fired. Witness testimony further showed that other individuals guilty of the same out-of-date beer infraction as Neely were not fired. Neely produced circumstantial evidence that another employee, Dennis Klier, was hired to help Danny fire Neely. After Klier was hired, he required Neely to be at work at 6:30 a.m. instead of Neely's usual 8:00 a.m. time. Klier also requested that Neely ride on a truck during routine route checks, despite Klier's knowledge of Neely's bad back. After Neely was fired, he was replaced with an employee who was more than twenty years his junior.
. For example, Neely's attorney repeatedly pointed out and questioned witnesses about the last evaluation Cash received from Anheu-ser-Busch around the time of Neely's termination. In that evaluation, Cash achieved 38/38 and 10/10 possible points — in short, a perfect score. Neely's attorney also impeached one of Cash's witnesses by eliciting an admission from the witness that he, as equity successor to Danny, stood to gain much from Cash's continued success. Other witnesses were impeached by conflicting past testimony or writings.
. Neely urges that we could also find that the jury was prejudiced by remarks of Cash's counsel during closing argument regarding the setoff issue that was to be determined by the court post-trial. Since neither party's closing arguments have been preserved for the record, we do not accord this argument any significance. We do note, however, that Cash does not dispute having made such a remark during closing argument. Regardless of the remark by Cash's attorney, the amount awarded by (he jury was clearly against the overwhelming weight of the evidence in this case.
. In a separate portion of its brief, Cash argues that Neely should not be entitled to any recovery at all because he failed to mitigate his damages. There was evidence presented to the jury that Neely waited two months before beginning his new employment after his termination from Cash. However, thé two-month interval provides no reasonable justification for the jury's returning a verdict approximately $60,000 less than the $178,754 back pay figure which Cash admitted, in the trial court, that Neely would be entitled to if he prevailed. There is no evidence to support the notion that Neely could have earned approximately $60,000 in two months. Accordingly, we do not find that this difference could have been the result of a deduction for failure to mitigate.
. We recognize that Neely has requested an additional $54,000 for these damages. However, based on the record before us, we cannot adequately assess a proper amount for these items and thus remand to the trial court, who is in a much better position to accurately assess an amount for these items.
. This is actually the text of the court's amended order. The only difference between the original order and the amended order is that the amended order mentions Cash's motion for offset, whereas the original order mentions only Neely's motions.