The date of assessment of damages for loss of profits is not fixed by an inflexible rule requiring discounting back to the date of loss; the court may assess damages at a later date where this best compensates the plaintiff, particularly where real figures can be substituted for hypothetical ones. Where a plaintiff establishes actual loss from a proposed but uncommenced business venture, the court must do the best it can to assess damages even where precise quantification is difficult, and a broad brush approach with appropriate discounting is permissible.
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