Opinion ID: 2074592
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Judgment as a Matter of Law on Damages

Text: [¶ 14] Jean LeClerc next contends that the court erred in granting judgment as a matter of law in favor of the Dionnes on the amount of their timber trespass damages. LeClerc argues that the issue should have gone to the jury even though Martin's testimony was uncontradicted. We agree. [¶ 15] The assessment of damages is within the sole province of the fact-finder, Avery v. Kennebec Millwork, Inc., 2004 ME 147, ¶ 3, 861 A.2d 634, 635, as are determinations of the credibility and weight of evidence, Estate of Siebert, 1999 ME 156, ¶ 10, 739 A.2d 365, 368. More particularly, a fact-finder, whether it be a jury or a court, is not required to believe witnesses, even if the testimony of [those] witnesses, be they experts or lay witnesses, is not disputed. Irish v. Gimbel, 2000 ME 2, ¶ 8, 743 A.2d 736, 738. When the party who bears the burden of proof introduces evidence that is undisputed, we have held that the fact-finder ha[s] the prerogative selectively to accept or reject it, in terms of the credibility of the witnesses or the internal cogency of the content. In re Fleming, 431 A.2d 616, 618 (Me.1981); accord In re Andrea W., 537 A.2d 596, 598 (Me.1988) (We have long recognized the principle that the [fact-finder] has the responsibility to assess the credibility of the witnesses and to find facts, and may reject the entire testimony of an uncontradicted witness.). [¶ 16] Had the jury been allowed to decide the issue of damages, it could have accepted Martin's uncontradicted testimony and found statutory forfeiture damages in the amount of $54,475. Our precedents make it clear, however, that it would also have been the jury's prerogative to find Martin not to be credible and reject his testimony. By granting the Dionnes' motion for judgment as a matter of law, the court effectively decided the credibility question itself and determined that the jury would have had no choice but to accept Martin's testimony. This was error.