Court Opinion

ID: 9723083
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 10:01:59.349825+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:24:44.471921
License: Public Domain

Caporale, J.,
concurring.
Because this court is ordinarily obliged to resolve cases on the theory on which they were tried, First West Side Bank v. Hiddleston, 225 Neb. 563, 407 N.W.2d 170 (1987), it was appropriate to treat this appeal as one in negligence.
However, the character of an action is determined by the nature of the grievance. Lincoln Grain v. Coopers & Lybrand, 216 Neb. 433, 345 N.W.2d 300 (1984). The grievance here is that the subcontractor, Abild, Inc., failed to install the turnbuckles in a workmanlike manner, in violation of the terms of its agreement with the contractor, Tri-County Agri-Supply, Inc. Thus, the case is in reality one for breach of contract, not one for the negligent infliction of damages. L.J. Vontz Constr. Co. v. State, 230 Neb. 377, 432 N.W.2d 7 (1988).
Thus, while I agree with the result in this case, I write separately to lament the apparent developing proclivity to forsake all civil jurisprudence save the law of negligence. Had this case been tried as one in contract, as it should have been, not only would our analysis have been less complicated, but the matter would have been far easier to present to the jury.
Fahrnbruch, J., joins in this concurrence.