The plaintiff commercial trucking company sued the defendant repair shop after its truck suffered a catastrophic engine failure shortly after being repaired.
The court found that the defendant's mechanics negligently failed to install snap rings during the engine rebuild, constituting both a breach of contract and negligence.
The plaintiff was awarded $80,757.51 in damages, which included a refund of the repair costs, lease payments, and towing expenses.
However, the court reduced the plaintiff's $200,000 claim, finding a failure to mitigate damages because the plaintiff neither repaired the truck nor purchased a replacement to continue business operations.