Jose A. Aquino | Duane Morris
The First Department’s recent decision in Henick–Lane, LLC v. Stellar Management Group, Inc. reaffirms New York’s strong policy of enforcing no-damages-for-delay clauses. Henick–Lane sought compensation for eight change orders tied to delays, but the subcontract’s no-damages-for-delay clause limited remedies to extensions of time. The court held that the claims were barred, rejecting arguments that they constituted “extra work” or that recognized exceptions applied. It found that evidence of poor planning was insufficient to establish bad faith, that the delays were expressly contemplated by the subcontract, and that the defendants’ failure to provide a crane did not amount to breach of a fundamental obligation. The court also held that the prevention doctrine—which bars a party from relying on a condition precedent it has itself prevented—was inapplicable because a no-damages-for-delay clause is exculpatory rather than a condition precedent. The decision illustrates how New York courts apply no-damages-for-delay provisions according to their plain terms.