Opinion ID: 677610
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Plaintiffs' experts' horticultural opinions.

Text: 49 AY contends that the district court erroneously admitted opinions on horticultural matters from plaintiffs' experts. Because AY objected to their admission, we review for abuse of discretion and will not reverse absent some prejudice. See Rent-A-Center, Inc. v. Canyon Television & Appliance Rental, Inc., 944 F.2d 597, 601 (9th Cir.1991). 50 Clifford Kupperberg, plaintiffs' audit expert, testified that AY failed to obtain sufficient documentation to support the key assumption that Agretech had the ability and capacity to provide the necessary plant materials for the 1985-I partnership and to cultivate those plant materials to maturity. To show the inaccuracy of AY's estimates of the bench space required to grow the plants, he presented some of his own calculations, based on information provided by Robert DeNeve (plaintiffs' horticultural expert). Contrary to AY's claim that he did not attempt to tie his horticultural calculations to his testimony about AY's audit negligence, Kupperburg did in fact present these calculations as the type of analysis that a reasonably competent and diligent accountant should perform. The testimony was thus within his area of expertise, and the district court did not abuse its discretion by allowing him to present it. 51 Similarly, Thomas Hayes, the Agretech bankruptcy trustee, testified that in his opinion the funds provided to Agretech for cultivating plants were far less than the sums required to grow them to marketable size, and that Agretech had fewer plants than it had committed to grow and too little bench space on which to grow them. Again, all expert knowledge he required to perform his calculations was provided by the acknowledged horticultural expert DeNeve (as well as Agretech's own crop growing schedule and other nurserymen). The calculations themselves simply compared required inputs to actual inputs and were not complicated; they fell within Hayes' area of expertise as a businessman and bankruptcy trustee. The district court did not abuse its discretion by admitting the testimony. 52 Finally, AY challenges the district court's admission of DeNeve's opinions about the feasibility of Agretech's marketing plans. AY claims that DeNeve is an expert in matters of propagation of tropical plants but not in their marketing. However, DeNeve testified that he had 25 years in the tropical foliage industry and was experienced in the marketing of foliage. Thus, the district court did not abuse its discretion in admitting the testimony. 53