Respondent property owners and appellant bank both sought review of a judgment from the Superior Court of Butte County (California), which entered judgment for respondents on their breach of contract claim and entered judgment on behalf of appellants on their breach of contract counterclaim.
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Overview
Respondent property owners and appellant bank both sought review of a lower court judgment that entered a jury verdict in favor of respondents on their breach of contract claim, granted appellant’s motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict, and entered judgment in favor of appellant on its breach of contract claim. The court affirmed the judgment in favor of respondent because the trial court properly calculated the damages as the loss of prospective profits from farming. The court determined that respondents’ loss of farming profits was the natural and direct consequence of appellant’s breach of contract in its failure to cover the cost of the seed and farming equipment. The court reversed the judgment entered in favor of appellant because the lower court had no power to grant the motion notwithstanding the verdict due to the conflict in evidence.
Outcome
The court affirmed the judgment entered on behalf of respondent property owners on their breach of contract claim and reversed the judgment notwithstanding the verdict entered on behalf of appellant bank because the lower court did not have the authority to grant the motion due to the conflict in evidence.