Hinkle v. Rockville Motor Co., Inc.

Hinkle (plaintiff) bought a car from Rockville Motor Co. (defendant) that was represented as new, but discovered months later it had actually been in an accident the year before; he sued for fraud, seeking $100,000. The trial court granted Rockville a directed verdict, reasoning Hinkle hadn't shown the car's actual value at the time of sale to support out-of-pocket-loss damages, and Hinkle appealed, pointing to his evidence of what it would cost to repair the car back to new condition.