Opinion ID: 1596315
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Loss-of-Use and Inconvenience Damages

Text: At trial, Papenheim requested damages for the loss of use of his vehicle for thirteen weeks and presented evidence of the weekly and monthly rate for rental of similar vehicles. The trial court held that only three weeks loss-of-use was reasonable and held in Papenheim's favor accordingly at a weekly rental rate associated with full-size cars such as a Pontiac Bonneville or Oldsmobile Delta 88. Papenheim argues the court erred in failing to award him the damages for thirteen weeks because circumstances reasonably kept him from getting his car repaired for this length of time. Lovell contends the trial court acted reasonably in awarding Papenheim damages for only three weeks loss-ofuse. Under Long, a plaintiff seeking damages for injury to a motor vehicle may also seek the reasonable value of the use of the vehicle for the time reasonably required to repair or replace it if the vehicle cannot by repair be placed in as good condition as it was in at the time of the accident. Long, 319 N.W.2d at 261. In order for damages to be adequate, they must fairly and reasonably compensate an injured party for the injury sustained. Householder v. Town of Clayton, 221 N.W.2d 488, 493 (Iowa 1974); Jackson v. Roger, 507 N.W.2d 585, 589 (Iowa App.1993). A damage award need only bear a `reasonable relationship to the loss suffered' to be sustained. Jackson, 507 N.W.2d at 589 (quoting Householder, 221 N.W.2d at 493). Papenheim contends an award of damages for the entire thirteen week period is justified because: (1) he spent the first few weeks obtaining estimates and negotiating; and (2) when he determined he could not sell the car, he sought to have it repaired, but all local body shops were excessively busy due to a recent severe hailstorm. We conclude that the record supports the trial court's finding that thirteen weeks was not a reasonable length of time for the vehicle to be unrepaired. The trial court's award of three weeks loss-of-use damages at $219 per week fairly and reasonably compensated Papenheim for the loss of use of his vehicle. We therefore affirm the court's decision on this matter. At trial, Papenheim additionally sought monetary damages for the personal time he spent dealing with matters related to the accident. He asserts that he spent approximately twenty hours of his own time on this controversy. The trial court awarded him $100 for this inconvenience and on appeal, he asks us to raise this amount to $500. Lovell does not challenge the court's $100 award other than to assert that there is no precedent for such an award. We know of no authority or precedent to allow the award of damages to plaintiff for time spent dealing with matters related to the accident. However, defendant did not present that challenge to the award in the trial court. We therefore affirm the trial court's award of $100 for this item of damages. AFFIRMED IN PART, REVERSED IN PART, AND REMANDED.