Opinion ID: 1965068
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 11

Heading: Benefit of Bargain Measure of Damages

Text: Nielsen claims the trial court erred by failing to give Nielsen's proposed instruction on the measure of damages using the benefit of the bargain rule. To establish reversible error from a court's failure to give a requested instruction, an appellant has the burden of showing that (1) the tendered instruction is a correct statement of the law, (2) the tendered instruction is warranted by the evidence, and (3) the appellant was prejudiced by the court's failure to give the tendered instruction. Doe v. Gunny's Ltd. Partnership, 256 Neb. 653, 593 N.W.2d 284 (1999). Nielsen's proposed instruction stated the measure of damages as the difference between the value of the seed Streeks expected to receive and the value of the seed actually received at the time of delivery. The benefit of the bargain rule is an appropriate measure of damages when the fraud induces a party to enter a contract for sale of property. See, Bibow v. Gerrard, 209 Neb. 10, 306 N.W.2d 148 (1981); Camfield v. Olsen, 183 Neb. 739, 164 N.W.2d 431 (1969); Beveridge v. Miller-Binder, Inc., 177 Neb. 734, 131 N.W.2d 155 (1964); Rothery v. Pounds, 150 Neb. 25, 33 N.W.2d 347 (1948); Falkner v. Sacks Bros., 149 Neb. 121, 30 N.W.2d 572 (1948). However, in the present case, we are not presented with a situation in which Streeks was fraudulently induced to enter into a contract with Nielsen. Because this action is not based on a fraudulently induced contract, the benefit of the bargain rule is not the appropriate measure of damages. Nielsen has failed to show that his proposed benefit of the bargain instruction is a correct statement of the law warranted by the evidence in this case. Thus, failure to give this proposed instruction is not reversible error.