Sutherland v. Gaylor

Citations

• 2021 Ohio 1941

Syllabus

Trial court erred by limiting cross-appellant's award of damages for appellant's breach of the non-compete provision in the independent contractor agreement to the additional salary cross-appellant would have earned from his limited liability company if appellant had not beached the agreement. Because cross-appellant was the contracting party, not his company, cross-appellant was the only party with standing to prosecute a claim against appellant, and he was entitled to recover all damages flowing naturally from the breach. Accordingly, the trial court erred when it failed to award damages to cross-appellant representing the full amount of profit lost. Sufficient evidence was presented by cross-appellant to support an award of damages representing that estimated gross profit lost over the two-year duration of the non-compete provision because cross-appellant's business was well-established, the financial records presented by cross-appellant permitted a reasonably reliable estimate of lost profit, and an award equal to two-years of estimated lost profit was necessary to place cross-appellant in the same position he would have occupied had appellant not breached the agreement. Judgment reversed in part and affirmed in part.