Opinion ID: 885205
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 14

Heading: Did the District Court err when it limited Schuff's recovery of prejudgment interest?

Text: ¶ 129 The District Court denied Schuff's post-judgment motion for prejudgment interest on her $203,000 jury award for medical and funeral expenses. The court concluded that Schuff had already received compensation for these expenses from workers' compensationa sum which in turn would serve as a collateral source reductionand therefore the statute governing the recovery of prejudgment interest was inapplicable. In other words, Schuff could not collect interest on a damage award that she would never actually receive due to what amounted to a dollar-for-dollar offset. ¶ 130 Under § 27-1-210, MCA, a prevailing claimant is entitled to interest at a rate of 10 percent on any claim for damages awarded that are capable of being made certain by calculation, beginning from the date 30 days after the claimant presented a written statement to the opposing party or his agent stating the claim and how the specific sum was calculated. ¶ 131 Schuff contends that the application of the foregoing to the factual scenario of her cause is straightforward. She provided the opposing party here with written notice of the claim for medical and funeral expenses in 1993, at slightly more than $200,000, and this specific claim in turn was awarded by the jury. It is undisputed that the jury awarded Schuff $203,000 for medical and funeral expenses. See generally Jim's Excavating Serv., Inc. v. HKM Associates (1994), 265 Mont. 494, 516, 878 P.2d 248, 261 (concluding that damages are not capable of being made certain by calculation where claimant alleges an award which is substantially different from the amount ultimately awarded by the trial court) (citations omitted). ¶ 132 Schuff's contention, however, relies on this Court's reversal of the District Court's collateral source reduction ruling. Therefore, because we have reversed the District Court's collateral source reduction ruling, specifically the $203,000 medical and funeral expenses received from workers' compensation, we likewise reverse the court's denial of Schuff's request for prejudgment interest on that sum.