Opinion ID: 161720
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Value of the Stone

Text: 55 Ford testified that, in his capacity as a geologist and certified mineral examiner for the BLM, he estimated that the retail price for the stone the defendants took was $120 or $280 per ton, depending on the size and shape of the pieces. Ford testified that, in his job, he typically used retail prices for comparable stone from nearby stone yards as a starting point for determining the value of unmined stone on government lands, and he used the same method to estimate the retail value of the stone the defendants removed from Red Mountain Community Pit. He inquired at several stone yards about stone with similar properties and uses as the stone the McPhilomys took from the community pit, examined the comparable stone at the stone yards, and learned prices by asking retailers. Based on Ford's background and application of a standard method, the district court admitted his testimony. 56 The district court considered Ford's testimony carefully in the Daubert hearing. The court noted that Ford's value figure, though based in part on hearsay, was based on evidence that reasonably is relied upon by the experts in Mr. Ford's field, making it admissible under Rule 703 of the Federal Rules of Evidence. The court observed that Mr. Ford's training and job responsibilities focus on the economics of mining, that he had performed a comparison of the different types of stone and their uses, that he had in fact viewed the stones that he used for price comparisons, and that he had found uniform prices. We hold that the district court did not abuse its discretion in admitting the evidence.