Court Opinion

ID: 9536652
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 07:04:17.796935+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T14:53:51.689585
License: Public Domain

WORTHEN', Justice
(concurring and dissenting).
'I am of the opinion that the judgment should be reversed and the case remanded for further proceedings.
I am unable to agree, however, on the matter of costs and believe that the defendant should recover costs, being the prevailing party in this court.
I am not only unable to agree with Mr. Justice HENRIOD that the testimony of defendant is entirely unworthy of belief, but I am likewise out of accord with the opinions of Mr. Chief Justice McDON-OUGH and Mr. Justice CROCKETT. In my opinion plaintiff’s counsel on cross examination elicited testimony sufficient to support a judgment in defendant’s favor in excess of nominal damages as follows:
“Cross Examination
“By Mr. Brann:
“Q. Now Mr. Varner, I believe you stated that your truck was worth $700.-00 immediately following this collision, didn’t you ? A. After the collision ?
“Q. After the collision. A. Yes.
“Q. And yet you estimated the cost of repairs to be $500.00; is that correct ? A. That was the bids I got, yes sir.
“Q. Now, Mr. Varner, you say that you’re a mechanic, and have been a mechanic for some 23 years? A. Yes sir.
“Q. You said that you rented a garage down here for a month and a half? A. Yes sir.
*171“Q. That was an automobile garage, 'was it? A. Yes sir. 12th and Wall.
“Q. Did you attempt to repair your truck yourself at any time? A. Yes sir.
“Q. Why didn’t you repair it down at this garage then? A. I couldn’t raise the money to finish it. I did put a spring under and a few things.
“Q. Mr. Varner, tell me and the Court something about this business of mechanic. What is it that costs the most, labor or materials, when you repair a motor vehicle? A. Well, just depends on what’s wrong with it.
"Q. Well, on your truck how much would it have cost for the actual materials only to repair that truck? A. Oh, around $.350.00. $400.00.
"Q. Now would you please tell the Court what these damaged parts consisted of? A. A front grille, a bumper, straighten the frame, one front axle, one spring, steering rod, one new tire and wheel, and one fender.
“Q. Now the fender wouldn’t have been necessary to operate this truck, would it? A. No sir.
“Q. You could have straightened the frame yourself, couldn’t you? A. If I had the equipment to do it with.
“Q. Have you ever looked around for a second-hand axle? A. Yes sir.
“Q. You didn’t find one? A. No sir.
“Q. How much would a new axle cost? A. Approximately $30.00 or $40.00.
“Q. $30.00 or $40.00? A. Yes sir.
“Q. ■ Now you have qualified, you ■ know, as an expert? A. Yes.
“Q. You know what the price of that is, don’t you? Now you tell the Court what the price of an axle is, that you could buy from a wholesale house, and doubtless you could. A. Oh, around $30.00.
“Q. About $30.00? A. Yes sir.”
Unless this court is ready to say that the trial judge, in face of the testimony just referred to had the case been tried to a jury, could have instructed the jury that defendant was not entitled to any com-pensable damages because they could not believe defendant’s testimony due to its. uncertainty, but should bring in a verdict of nominal damages in the amount of $5.00, then there is no basis for hesitancy in reversing the case and awarding defendant his costs.
In my opinion there is a further reason why the case should be reversed. In fact, I am of the opinion that the case should never have been permitted to reach this court.
After the evidence was in and the matter had been argued by counsel for the resper-*172tive parties, the trial court observed that he had doubt that either plaintiff or defendant had sustained a burden of proof as to actual damages suffered by the parties. The court further observed:
“He comes in here and states he-suffered so many dollars damages. Yet there isn't a scintilla of evidence before this Court upon which to break down and establish a precedent for awarding damages. You haven’t given to this Court the cost of one replacement for this truck. You haven’t given to this Court one scintilla of evidence to establish the amount of labor which would be necessary to repair this truck. He says he’s an expert and can do it himself. Probably he can, but what evidence does the Court have outside of this bald-faced statement, * *
The court then ordered the respective counsel to brief the matter as to whether proof of damages had been established and added:
“ * * * Now whether you could have got additional proof I don’t know, * * * ” (Emphasis added.)
After the statement just quoted one or both of the attorneys should have asked to reopen to offer additional testimony.
I am of the opinion, however, that since counsel made no motion for leave to offer additional testimony the trial court should have advised counsel that the case would be reopened to afford either to submit additional evidence on the question of damages if desired.
This court in the case of Kirkham v. Spencer 1 sustained the action of the trial court, after taking the case under advisement, in setting aside the respective rests of the parties, in order to give the respective parties an opportunity to present further evidence upon two points indicated by the court.
In that case we observed, “The scope of our Utah Rules of Civil Procedure, U.R. C.P. is declared in Rule No. 1 to be:
“ * * They shall be liberally construed to secure the just, speedy, and inexpensive determination of every action.’ ”

. 3 Utah 2d 399, 285 P.2d 127, 128.