Opinion ID: 446770
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: The Calculation of Damages

Text: 59 With respect to the separate trial on damages, Kaiser raises several issues. First, Kaiser contends that its motion for JNOV should have been granted because the projected market share analysis used for plaintiffs' calculation of lost profits failed to account for competition by other independent pipe fabricators. Kaiser further contends that the failure of an expert to account for significant factors in his analysis was an error of law and subject to plenary review in this court. Presumably, Kaiser must be suggesting that the testimony of plaintiff's expert is inadmissible because it is unsupported; and if it were struck, then the remaining evidence would be insufficient to support the damages verdict and Kaiser would be entitled to a JNOV. 60 We note that Kaiser neither raised this issue specifically in a motion for a directed verdict, nor did it object to the jury instructions on this matter. Thus, Kaiser is not entitled to a JNOV, nor may it raise this issue on appeal as an error of law. See infra Section IX, Fed.R.Civ.P. 50(b), 51; Abraham v. Pekarski, 728 F.2d 167, 172 (3d Cir.), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 104 S.Ct. 3513, 82 L.Ed.2d 822 (1984); Herman v. Hess Oil, 524 F.2d 767 (3d Cir.1975). 61 Even if, however, we were to construe Kaiser's motion for a directed verdict to have raised this question, we would not hold that the JNOV should have been granted. The testimony of Dr. Bowman made clear that he was aware of, and accounted for the presence of other aluminum pipe fabricators. His testimony was supported, and therefore, admissible. At best, Kaiser's contentions go to the weight of the evidence and not its admissibility. That, however, was for the jury. Pitchford v. Pepi, Inc., 531 F.2d 92, 108-09 (3d Cir.1976). 62 As to Kaiser's remaining contentions on damages, we have examined the record and conclude that the district court did not err in allowing damages for both lost profits and actual losses; nor did the district court err in failing to instruct the jury on plaintiffs' duty to mitigate damages; nor did the district court err in permitting the jury to consider damages for lost profits on projected sales outside of the geographic and product markets stipulated for liability purposes.