Damages for Breach Must Be Awarded Even if Amount Uncertain

The First Department determined the trial court erred when it did not award damages for breach of contract because the amount of damages was uncertain:

Where, as here, “it is certain that damages have been caused by a breach of contract, and the only uncertainty is as to their amount, there can rarely be good reason for refusing, on account of such uncertainty, any damages whatever for the breach. A person violating his contract should not be permitted entirely to escape liability because the amount of damages which he has caused is uncertain” … .  Here, plaintiff’s expert used an investment valuation analysis because he determined that there was no market for the 76th Street property, a conclusion with which the lower court agreed. Despite this agreement, the court, mistakenly believing that this Court’s previous order required a market value analysis even if no such market existed, found that plaintiff failed to meet his burden of proof. This was error, especially where, as here, the court had the means to make a market value determination if it so desired.  Cole v Makclowe, 2013 NY Slip Op 02690, 604784/99, 1565, 1st Dept, 4-23-13