Opinion ID: 2007160
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Forms of Verdict on Breach of Contract Claim.

Text: Finally, we consider plaintiff's contention that the trial court erred in the forms of verdict which were submitted to the jury on his breach of contract claim. Specifically, he urges that the verdict forms were erroneous in forcing the jury to elect between the defendants in fixing recovery on that claim. Plaintiff sufficiently objected to the forms of verdict in the trial court to present this issue on appeal. The contractual issues against Green Construction Co. were submitted to the jury on the basis of a belated amendment to the petition alleging a principal and agent relationship between Green Construction Co. and Khodari-Intergreen Co. Defendants in their cross-appeal assert that the trial court abused its discretion in permitting what they claim to be an untimely amendment. As a result of the amendment, the jury was permitted to hold Green Construction Co. liable on the contractual claim if it found that corporation to be the true principal to the agreement with plaintiff which was negotiated by Khodari-Intergreen Co. If such finding were returned, the forms of verdict provided that recovery would be against Green Construction Co. only on the contractual claim. Khodari-Intergreen Co. was to be found liable on the contractual claim if it were found to be the true principal to the agreement. The forms of verdict provided that if that were the jury's finding, the verdict could be returned against Khodari-Intergreen Co. only. Plaintiff's claim of error is based on its belief that the jury should have been permitted to impose liability against both defendants if it found that Khodari-Intergreen Co. was acting as the agent of Green Construction Co. in negotiating the contract with the plaintiff. We disagree. An agent is ordinarily not liable on the contracts of his principal unless the principal is undisclosed. Cryder Well Co. v. Stangl, 257 Iowa 1255, 1258, 136 N.W.2d 519, 521 (1965). Plaintiff failed to plead or prove that if Green Construction Co. was a principal that it was undisclosed; nor did plaintiff rely upon such contention in the objections which were made to the forms of verdict in the trial court. We find no error in the forms of verdict which were employed by the trial court in submitting the breach of contract claim. The contract claim against Khodari-Intergreen Co. was in the case long prior to the amendment which the defendants challenged on cross-appeal. Only the claim against Green Construction Co. was added by the late amendment. Because the claim against Green Construction Co. failed on the merits, we need not consider whether the trial court abused its discretion in permitting the amendment. Where the error in the trial court affects only some of the issues, a new trial may properly be limited to the issues affected by the error. McCarville v. Ream, 247 Iowa 1, 10-13, 72 N.W.2d 476, 481-82 (1955). Based on our holdings on the various issues, we reverse the judgment in favor of the defendant Khodari-Intergreen Co. on the malicious threat to extort claim and remand the case for a retrial of that issue as to the defendant Khodari-Intergreen Co. only. The judgment is otherwise affirmed on plaintiff's appeal and is affirmed on defendants' cross-appeal. AFFIRMED IN PART AND REVERSED IN PART ON PLAINTIFF'S APPEAL; AFFIRMED ON DEFENDANTS' APPEAL.