Opinion ID: 1957062
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: Argument III: REMITTITUR

Text: Finally, ARCO argues that the trial court committed reversible error by failing to order remittitur pursuant to its post-trial motion asserting that the verdict was excessive given the evidence. We can reduce the award only where it is manifestly clear the trial court erred in entering a judgment larger than the verdict winner by his own showing was entitled to recover. Steinhauer v. Wilson, 336 Pa.Super. 155, 159, 485 A.2d 477, 479 (1984). In the case at bar, the jury found a contract of employment and a breach thereof. The parties did not disagree that $32,250.00 represented appellee's lost earnings up until October of 1985. Robertson pointed out, however, that this was not inclusive of benefits and argued that the figure was not a fair measure of the total damages. Similarly, the parties do not disagree that upon the finding of a contract the extent of appellee's damages would include lost income for the reasonable time Robertson would have worked in a new, reassigned position. ARCO argues, however, that this would not have been beyond October of 1985 when ARCO sold the Newark facility. ARCO offers in further support the implication that the same manager who fired Robertson in 1983 would have fired him in October of 1985. The latter contradicts the testimony of that manager that reassignment would have taken Robertson out of his division. Therefore, neither the sale of the Newark facility nor the assumed future decision of its manager provide conclusive evidence of a point at which Robertson's damage ended. As Robertson points out, it is reasonable to assume that had he been reassigned to a position he could handle, his performance reviews would have returned to their pre-Newark level of excellence and his employment with ARCO would have continued to retirement, as was his apparent desire. ARCO's assertion that the jury necessarily contemplated a lifetime contract in reaching the $200,000.00 award has no support in the record. Robertson established mitigation and showed a current income of approximately $18,000.00 per year. This represents a loss of $10,000.00 per year when compared with his salary at ARCO. Assuming arguendo an equal rise in base earnings between the two jobs in the future, Robertson's loss will be $10,000.00 per year. He is thirty-nine and can be expected to work twenty-six additional years, thereby incurring a loss of $260,000.00. Thus, the verdict of $200,000.00 returned by the jury was supported by the evidence and was not excessive. The trial court's failure to order remittitur was, therefore, proper and we will not disturb that determination. JUDGMENT AFFIRMED.