Opinion ID: 1217773
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: specific items of damages

Text: On many issues, Wright said one thing and Vickaryous another. The trial court had the opportunity to view the witnesses and evaluate their credibility. E.g., Associated Engineers & Contractors, Inc. v. H & W Construction Co., 438 P.2d 224, 227-28 (Alaska 1968). This court will not set aside a finding by the trial court unless it is clearly erroneous. E.g., Jackson v. White, 556 P.2d 530, 532-33 (Alaska 1976); Alaska R.Civ.P. 52(a). [28] Wright's brief alleges that the trial court's awards of three specific items of damages were in error. First, Wright, in a highly conclusory fashion, claims the award of damages for the Vickaryouses' inability to plant a second hay crop [29] was error: Sande was incredibly charged with alleged loss of profits with regard to a second cutting. If anything the evidence shows that the matter is entirely speculative. Moreover the testimony also indicates that there was absolutely no time for a second fertilizing. [record citation omitted] The general rule on lost profits from a tenant's unlawful holding over is as follows: In a proper case, lost profits directly resulting from the detention of the premises have been held recoverable, but such loss must be proved with reasonable exactitude. In other words, there must be some basis for computing the loss resulting, such factors as the length of time the business has been conducted on the premises, the nature of the business, and the experience of the parties involved, having been considered by the courts in allowing or disallowing such damages. Annot., 32 A.L.R.2d 582, 586 (1953) (footnote omitted). Vickaryous testified about the characteristics of his land and its possible yield per acre; he testified that he could have obtained a second cutting of hay from the Cottonwood Dairy Farm and in the past had secured such cuttings. Wright testified that he had done all that was possible to get a second yield. It is true that Vickaryous said that in some previous years the land had not yielded a second cutting, but he said that was because he had not been there to supervise the field work. This was sufficient evidence for the trial court to conclude that the Vickaryouses suffered lost profits from Wright's holding over. Second, Wright alleges that he returned the silo in better shape than when he received it and that the alleged defects in his repair work were only to make the silo workable. Not surprisingly, the Vickaryouses claimed the repairs were not done with ordinary care and left the system useless. The trial court found that the Vickaryouses had suffered $5,800.00 in damages from Wright's silo repair work. The general rule regarding a tenant's liability for damages is as follows: [I]t is the duty of the tenant to exercise ordinary care, in the use of the leased premises or property, not to cause any material and permanent injury thereto over and above the ordinary wear and tear, and that he is liable to the landlord in damages for any such injury unnecessarily resulting from his wrongful acts or his failure to exercise such care. Annot., 10 A.L.R.2d 1012, 1014 (1950). Whether Wright's work helped the silo or damaged it in the amount of $5,800.00 is a question of fact dependent upon evaluating the credibility of the witnesses. The trial court's finding has sufficient support in the record. Third, the trial court awarded the Vickaryouses approximately $5,000.00 in attorney's fees expended from May to December (mostly during October and November) in efforts to negotiate a lease. Wright is correct that as a matter of law, the record does not support this award. The Vickaryouses paid the attorney's fees before they terminated Wright's month-to-month tenancy in December and therefore before the unlawful holding over occurred. [30] Wright's unlawful possession of Cottonwood Dairy cannot have caused the Vickaryouses to spend money if they spent it before Wright's possession became unlawful. The Vickaryouses argue that Wright would be liable for all damages reasonably foreseeable from a breach of contract, and that the Vickaryouses' legal fees were reasonably foreseeable from an agreement to agree. Assuming the trial court found that the parties made an agreement to agree, [31] and assuming Wright would be liable for damages if he breached that agreement, [32] the record does not indicate that Wright breached such an agreement. [33]