Opinion ID: 411763
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Damage to the Shipment in Bowling Green

Text: 41 That the shipment was damaged when inspected in Racine during March, however, does not establish that the damage existed when delivered to Bowling Green in January. Almost two months had elapsed between Felts's examination and Manske's. We have no basis for determining that the damage was not caused, or at least aggravated, during the second leg of the journey, which also occurred in winter weather. Manske admitted this much during cross-examination. 42 Q: Can you tell me, based on the tests that you conducted sometime after February 21st--that was the return of the car--based on these tests that you conducted, can you tell what the condition of the Glo-Coat was in Bowling Green on January 25? 43 A: Of course not. 44 We are left with only Felts's cursory examination as proof of damage in Bowling Green. Johnson did not believe that Felts was qualified to determine if the shipment was damaged, and on the facts of this case we are hesitant to disagree. All that Felts determined was that several cases near the perimeter of the car were frozen. As Manske stated during trial, freezing does not necessarily cause damage. Several of the products could be frozen without harm. At least one product, Pledge Aerosol, may have been damaged by age rather than freezing. Felts did not even determine the extent of the freezing, checking only those cases most likely to freeze. 45 Although Felts's findings are enough to preclude Johnson from proving that the shipment was redelivered to the L & N in good condition, they are not enough to establish the amount of damage. Concededly there was some indication of damage at Bowling Green, but damages may not be awarded on the basis of conjecture or speculation and the admitted fact of damage is insufficient to prove the amount of damage. Locklin v. Day-Glo Color Corp., 429 F.2d 873, 879 (7th Cir.1970), cert. denied, 400 U.S. 1020, 91 S.Ct. 582, 27 L.Ed.2d 632 (1971); see also Alover Distributors, Inc. v. Kroger Co., 513 F.2d 1137, 1140-41 (7th Cir.1975). A finding that several cases of unidentified products appeared to be frozen is simply an insufficient basis for holding that the shipment was damaged to the extent found to exist by Manske. 46 For the foregoing reasons, the decision of the district court is 47 AFFIRMED.