Opinion ID: 8264
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Adjustment of Damage Award

Text: 32 Grammer next argues that even if the breach of warranty judgment stands, the trial court erred in increasing the damage award on this claim from the jury's award of 1 million dollars to 4.7 million dollars, the balance due on the underlying debt. We accord a jury great discretion in awarding damages within the range shown by the evidence. 32 In the infrequent circumstance where there is no rational basis for the jury's verdict, however, a trial court may impose the only damages award that reasonably can be drawn from the evidence. 33 33 The only evidence of damages at trial was testimony by Heller witness John Payne who placed the damages at the balance due on the underlying debt. Although Grammer contends that he presented extensive evidence showing that he cured most of the breaches of which Heller complains, he points to no evidence supporting the conclusion that the breach of the warranty against modification caused damages less than the balance due on the debt. 34 We perceive no error in the trial court's amendment of the judgment; the record is devoid of any evidence allowing a lesser verdict on the breach of warranty claim.