Damages calculations in breach of contract cases are nothing more than an attempt to determine the amount of money that will make a plaintiff “whole” after suffering some alleged wrongdoing (breach of contract) at the hands of a defendant. In general, this means calculating the present value of the lost profits of the plaintiff caused by the alleged breach of contract.
There is no doubt that valuation advisory services can provide the peace of mind and thoughtful documentation required to conduct those transactions that may be scrutinized by regulators, courts, tax collectors and a myriad of other lurking adversaries.
With the evolution of mediation requirements, divorcing parties and their advisors are discovering the importance of early involvement by a qualified valuation professional.
Litigation often boils down to the “battle of the experts.” Due to the significance of expert testimony in the litigation process, potential expert witnesses and those employing expert testimony should be cognizant of recent judicial trends regarding its admissibility.
I have been an expert witness in the business valuation and corporate damages areas for many years. When I wrote my first book, Valuing Financial Institutions, in 1992, I explained the steps I took before each testimony experience to assure, to the extent possible, that the outcome of each testimony was successful.