Opinion ID: 1628456
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Propriety of trial court's findings.

Text: After the jury returned its special verdict, the trial court adopted those findings as its own and made certain additional findings. Ranta asserts that those supplemental findings were improperly made, in that they decided questions of fact which should have been determined by the jury and were contrary to the findings which the jury did make. Under Rule 49.01, Rules of Civil Procedure, the trial court has the authority to make such additional findings supplementing a special verdict as are necessary to render a judgment. Ranta's argument regarding the court's findings is premised upon the contention that the court improperly submitted the case to the jury. We have rejected this contention. And, if the trial court properly submitted the issues to the jury, the only question which remains is whether there is evidentiary support for those findings of the court which encompass facts not expressly found by the jury. In examining the court's findings with an eye toward the record, it cannot be said that they were clearly erroneous. The court's findings merely add necessary, consistent details to the findings of the jury and are amply supported by the evidence.