Opinion ID: 2056262
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Was there sufficient evidence of repair cost to carry the damage issue to the jury?

Text: UFS argues there was no substantial evidence of damages to permit any award and, alternatively, that the judgment was excessive and not supported by substantial evidence. Burns, the structural engineer who examined the home for UFS, testified the cost of repairing the house would run between $15,000 and $19,000. In granting a new trial in absence of a remittitur, trial court found it had misinterpreted Burns' testimony when it submitted a jury instruction that permitted a recovery up to $28,000. This was, in fact, the amount of the verdict. Because UFS has appealed in this new trial-remittitur situation, the original judgment is reinstated. See Iowa R.Civ.P. 250; Ackerman v. Lauver, 242 N.W.2d 342, 347 (Iowa 1976). Thus we review the sufficiency of evidence to support the original verdict of $28,000. We have recognized a distinction between proof of the fact that damages have been sustained and proof of the amount of those damages. If it is speculative and uncertain whether damages have been sustained, recovery is denied. Patterson v. Patterson, 189 N.W.2d 601, 605 (Iowa 1971). If uncertainty lies only in the amount of damages, recovery may be had if there is a reasonable basis in the evidence from which the amount can be inferred or approximated. Pringle Tax Service, Inc. v. Knoblauch, 282 N.W.2d 151, 153 (Iowa 1979). It seems clear there was more than adequate evidence in this case to support a finding that damages were sustained. We hold that while there is uncertainty as to the amount of damages, there was sufficient evidence to support a jury verdict of $20,000. Larsens' expert witness Rexroth, a real estate appraiser, placed a $45,000 fair market value on the property on October 27, 1977, disregarding the structural defects. Taking the structural defects into consideration as of the same date, he placed the fair market value at $25,000, a difference of $20,000. In arriving at the as is value, Rexroth took into consideration comparable sales, Burns' estimated cost of repairs, and an element Rexroth characterized as entrepreneurshipthe incentive for an individual buying the property . . . to go through the problems of hiring a contractor and getting the work completed. Although UFS rejects the entrepreneurship concept, we think under our above rule it may be interpreted merely to mean that a buyer would discount the property by more than estimated repair cost because of the uncertainty and trouble inherent in major structural repairs to a home. We agree with trial court and with UFS that there is insufficient evidence to justify a verdict in excess of $20,000. Accordingly, we exercise our inherent right to order a remittitur. See Miller v. Young, 168 N.W.2d 45, 53 (Iowa 1969). If Larsens shall file in this proceeding in district court a consent to remit all of the verdict in excess of $20,000 within 30 days from the filing of this opinion, the district court judgment appealed from shall stand and shall draw interest at the statutory rates from date of entry. If the consent to remit is not so filed, a new trial is hereby ordered. Costs are taxed to UFS. This case is therefore MODIFIED AND AFFIRMED ON CONDITION, AND REMANDED.