Opinion ID: 1381094
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Did the superior court err in its findings regarding breach of the contract?

Text: The superior court made the following findings regarding the breach of the contract: that the breach did not occur on March 30, 1978, but at some later point; that appellants breached the contract by refusing to allow installation of the phone system, and by refusing to make the payments required; that TTC substantially completed its work prior to appellants' breach. The issue here is whether the superior court's findings are specific enough as to the date of breach to resolve the issue of mitigation. Appellants argue that it was reversible error on the superior court's part to fail to specify a specific date for breach because the exact date of breach was required to measure damages and because the date of breach was critical for determining mitigation of damages (when TTC should have stopped further work on the contract). Appellants' position is that even if there was a contract TTC should have mitigated damages by stopping work on March 30, 1978, the date on which Davis advised Alden not to spend any more money. [15] The superior court found that the breach occurred well past March 30, and that TTC had substantially completed its work prior to the breach. The superior court further found that as late as mid-April appellants still had not repudiated the contract, and the evidence shows that TTC halted its work by mid-April. A finding as to the exact date of breach was not needed to resolve the mitigation question in this case since the evidence supports the trial court's finding that TTC stopped all work prior to receiving notice of appellants' repudiation of the contract. We therefore conclude that the superior court's findings regarding the breach of contract were sufficient to satisfy the requirements of Civil Rule 52. [16]