Opinion ID: 685627
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Dismissal of Contract Claims for Failure to Prove Damages

Text: 19 The District Court held a bench trial on one of the Becherer plaintiffs' breach of contract claims against SSG. In that claim, the Becherer plaintiffs alleged that SSG violated the Unit Sale Agreements by closing the sale on the hotel before it was substantially complete. At the trial, the Becherer plaintiffs presented the testimony of Phillip Levin, a management consultant, to support their contention that the hotel lost money due to the delay in substantial completion. 20 After reviewing the evidence presented, the District Court found that SSG closed the sale before the hotel was substantially complete, and thus, breached the Unit Sale Agreements. After reaching this conclusion, the District Court reviewed Levin's testimony and Florida law on calculating damages. On the basis of this law and evidence, the District Court concluded that the plaintiff class had not carried their burden of proving that they were damaged as a result of the aforementioned breaches. Becherer v. Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith, 799 F.Supp. 755, 766 (E.D.Mich.1992). The hotel was completed before the two years expired, and opening it early enabled it to make a profit during that interim period. The District Court was not clearly erroneous in finding that the plaintiff class was not damaged by this breach. 21 The Becherer plaintiffs argue that the District Court had announced it was only trying liability, not damages, so they did not present proofs on the issue of damages. According to the Becherer plaintiffs, this was an improper modification of the pretrial order. This claim cannot succeed. Regardless of what the District Court might or might not have said in pretrial conferences, the fact remains that the Becherer plaintiffs presented evidence, in the form of expert testimony, regarding their damages. On appeal, they have not pointed to any damages evidence that they were unable to present. Accordingly, the District Court did not violate their substantive due process rights.