Opinion ID: 1231921
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Part V, Failure to Mitigate as Grounds for New Trial:

Text: I concur in the holding that Simplot's offer to work in the Food Division cannot be used to establish O'Dell's failure to mitigate. Other than for the final paragraph, I fully concur with the analysis made by Justice McDevitt. Because the trial court's discussion of the theory underlying contract breach is inconsistent, its determination that a new trial should be conducted to determine contract damages is not sound. I disagree with the conclusion that we must affirm the contract damage award on the predicate that the trial court incorrectly analyzed a failure to mitigate defense. Concurring specially, I voice my own view that the jury, on the evidence presented, was exposed to corporate vindictiveness and egregious conduct to a reprehensible degree the likes of which has heretofore not been experienced. The suggestion that O'Dell should take another position in the same company which had so shamefully treated him for his actions in performing the very function for which he was employed, i.e., the duties of monitoring practices and formulating and enforcing policies to eliminate unlawful discrimination and/or sexual harassment, is wholly untenable to the point of being absurd. No reasoning person could be expected, by reasonable persons, to give up the entitlement and claims pertinent to a position which he had performed well and faithfully  with no criticism whatever levelled at his performance, other than implicitly that he was far too faithful in carrying out his duties when it was the reported sexual harassment by a corporate division president which was involved  to take any other proffered company position the duration of which would be entirely at the whim of the corporation. The jury saw its duty under those facts and the court's instructions, and the jury did its duty, the doing of which was undone by the district court on grounds and reasoning not legally sustainable.