Opinion ID: 1653014
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: the adequacy of the verdict

Text: The jury returned a verdict in favor of the plaintiff in the amount of $12,550. By cross-appeal, the plaintiff contends that the amount of the recovery was too small and that the verdict was contrary to the evidence. Although the plaintiff produced expert testimony that the damages were greater than the amount of the verdict, John Childers, a farm and ranch real estate appraiser who testified on behalf of the Central District, stated that the value of the plaintiff's accretion land was not affected by the presence or absence of trees on the property. Childers testified that although the presence or absence of trees on property may affect a ranching operation, the market value of the property is not impacted by the presence or absence of trees. The jury was not required to accept the testimony of any of the expert witnesses, including the testimony of Soucek. Triers of fact are not required to take the opinions of experts as binding upon them. Briggs v. Consolidated Freightways, 234 Neb. 410, 451 N.W.2d 278 (1990). Although Kingsley Dam was constructed in 1937, apparently it caused no damage to the plaintiff's property until the floods of 1971 and 1973. Presumably, the degradation process was continuous since the dam was constructed, although not necessarily at a uniform rate. There was other evidence that suggested the change in ground water levels may have been due to other causes. Ralph Knepper, the Central District's hydraulic engineer, testified that two wells on the plaintiff's property showed that the ground water level had actually risen and that the ground water levels north of the river had shown a gradual decline, probably due to extensive drilling of irrigation wells. Also, on cross-examination, Eugene Feltz testified that there has been no change in the use of the property since the trees died. From our review of the record we conclude that the evidence supports the verdict and it was not contrary to the evidence.