Opinion ID: 1854911
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Testimony on Standard of Care.

Text: The elements of a negligence claim are familiar: existence of a duty to conform to a standard of conduct to protect others, failure to conform to that standard, proximate cause, and damages. Marcus v. Young, 538 N.W.2d 285, 288 (Iowa 1995); W. Page Keeton et al., Prosser and Keeton on the Law of Torts § 30, at 164-65 (5th ed. 1984) [hereinafter Prosser]. Hartig called two experts to testify on the standard of conduct applicable to the building of retaining walls, Dennis Waugh and Fred Becker. A. Dennis Waugh's opinions. Waugh is a consulting engineer with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering and a master's degree in structural engineering. Hartig employed Waugh to recommend repairs to the retaining wall after its collapse. Waugh testified the wall built by Curt did not conform to accepted levels of safety or design standards. More specifically, he stated the wall should have been constructed of larger stone at the bottom with gradually smaller stone tapering to the top. In contrast, Hartig's wall was built using the same size stone from bottom to top, a design that would be safe only to a height of four feet. [1] Waugh expressed no opinions on the quality of the construction, concluding the problem with the wall was one of design. Waugh testified a stone contractor would know and appreciate that the wall built by Curt was insufficient to retain the earth behind it. On the other hand, he also acknowledged those who build smaller retaining walls for landscape purposes would not be familiar with the engineering requirements for larger walls. B. Fred Becker's opinions. Fred Becker also testified on behalf of Hartig. Becker is a building stone contractor; he fabricates stone and constructs stone retaining walls. Hartig employed Becker to build a retaining wall on his property after the one built by Curt failed. Becker testified the stone used by Curt was inappropriate and a stone mason of average skill would know that. Becker was also questioned about the expertise of Francois. Becker testified Francois was not one of his competitors in the retaining wall business. Francois works with stone veneer, a four-inch-wide stone placed on a house or fireplace in lieu of brick. Becker agreed that stone veneer has nothing to do with the type of stone used in the retaining wall project.