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l <br /> <br />Plaintiff, G.E.C. Minerals, Inc., obtained a jury verdict <br />against defendant, Harrison Western Corporation, for negligence <br />and breach of contract. Plaintiff appeals the judgment entered <br />by the trial court reducing plaintiff's recovery by 25% for its <br />own negligence, and the trial court's denial of prejudgment <br />interest. We affirm in part and reverse in part. <br />In 1981, plaintiff entered into a contract with defendant <br /> <br />under which defendant was required to deposit fill material in <br />plaintiff's open pit coal. mine as part of a reclamation <br />project. The contract contained an exculpatory clause which <br />provided that defendant would be liable only for compensatory <br />damages in negligence arising from its "gross negligence or <br />willful misconduct." <br />In 1982, an underground fire developed at plaintiff's coal <br />mine. Claiming that the fill material deposited by defendant <br />had caused the fire, plaintiff brought this action for breach <br />of contract and negligence. <br />Based on the exculpatory clause of the parties' contract, <br />the jury was instructed that it could find defendant liable <br />only if defendant's actions constituted "willful and reckless <br />negligence." The jury was also instructed to apply the <br />principles of the comparative negligence statute in determining <br />damages. The jury found that plaintiff and defendanC were each <br /> <br />-1- <br />