{"id":901116,"date":"2023-05-02T15:52:18","date_gmt":"2023-05-02T21:52:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/?p=901116"},"modified":"2023-05-02T15:52:21","modified_gmt":"2023-05-02T21:52:21","slug":"claim-preclusion-doctrine-everyone-thinks-they-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/claim-preclusion-doctrine-everyone-thinks-they-know\/","title":{"rendered":"Claim Preclusion: The Doctrine Everyone Thinks They Know But No One Really Knows What it Means in Practice"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Garret Murai | California Construction Law Blog<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Generally, I think restraint in litigation is a good thing. Don\u2019t go crazy on your claims, don\u2019t go nut-so in your discovery, and don\u2019t present your case at trial in a way that causes the judge and\/or jury to raise their eyebrows or shake their heads in disbelief. But, as with nearly everything, there\u2019s always an exception. One of which is: don\u2019t hold back on a claim<\/a> because you \u201cthink\u201d you might be able to bring it later, because you might not be able to as the next case,\u00a05th and LA v. Western Waterproofing Company, Inc.<\/em>, 87 Cal.App.5th 781 (2023), demonstrates.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 5th and LA Case<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

At the outset, let me first say how much I enjoyed reading this case based on the writing alone. The case, as the 2nd District Court of Appeals states, involves \u201ca second lawsuit about an increasingly leaky roof.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2012, property owner 5th and LA hired roofing contractor Western Waterproofing Company, Inc. to remove and recoat a parking lot that served also served as the roof over retail and office space below. Western completed its work in July 2012 and almost immediately 5th and LA noticed water that the coating was failing causing water leaks to the interior of the building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In October 2013, 5th and LA filed suit against Western alleging breach of express and implied warranties. The case went to trial in 2015, by which time, the roof had about ten leaks. At trial, Western admitted errors in its work, including improper ordering and timing of material applications, but argued that 5th and LA had not shown that the leaks were the result of these errors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One would think that Western would have lost, guilt by claim association or something along those blurry lines, but it didn\u2019t. Rather, the jury found that: (1) Western provided a warranty for its work; (2) the coating did not perform as promised within the warranty period; (3) 5th and LA took reasonable steps to notify Western that the coating was not performing as promised; and (4) 5th and LA was harmed; BUT (5) the coating failure was not<\/strong> a substantial factor in causing the harm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5th and LA appealed but the verdict was upheld in an unpublished decision by the 2nd District Court of Appeals which held that 5th and LA had never explicitly said that issues with the coating caused the leaks and Western\u2019s expert identified possible sources of leaks other than the coating such as gaps in door frames and cracks in masonry and stucco. End of Act 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In January 2020, 5th and LA filed a second lawsuit against Western claiming that the roof now had about 50 leaks \u201call due to failures of labor (workmanship) by [Western].\u201d Western in turn filed a motion for summary judgment claiming that 5th and LA\u2019s second lawsuit was barred under the doctrine of claim preclusion . The trial court agreed, finding that 5th and LA was suing on the same primary right: \u201cfor [Western} to honor its warranty for the work it did in 2012.\u201d 5th and LA appealed again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Appeal<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

On appeal, the 2nd District Court of Appeal held that \u201cclaim preclusion bars the owner\u2019s second suit\u201d explaining that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Claim preclusion bars a new lawsuit if the first case had (1) the same cause of action; (2) between the same parties, or parties in privity; and (3) a final judgment on the merits. Following our Supreme Court\u2019s lead, we refer to this doctrine as \u201cclaim preclusion,\u201d not \u201cres judicata.\u201d The doctrine promotes judicial economy by preventing claim splitting. It requires all claims based on the same cause of action, which were or could have been raised,<\/em> to be decided in a single suit.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

But, explained the Court of Appeal, \u201c[t]his issue can be knotty.\u201d \u201cReigning doctrine tells us that, in applying th[e] first element, courts must discern whether the lawsuits involve the same \u2018primary right\u2019 \u2014 the plaintiff\u2019s right to be free from the injury suffered \u2014 and breach of duty.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here, held the Court of Appeal, the claimed harm involved the same \u201cprimary right\u201d in both the first and second lawsuit, namely, 5th and LA\u2019s right to be free of harm from Western\u2019s materials and labor. \u201cThe first suit,\u201d explained the Court, \u201cfound [Western\u2019s] installation did not harm [5th and LA]. [Western] has not performed new work since that single transaction. There is no new breach. [5th and LA] litigated problems with [Western\u2019s] workmanship in the first suit, which resolved the issue.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Further, explained the Court of Appeal, \u201cchanged conditions or new facts are not, by themselves, enough\u201d:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New leaks are pertinent only if the owner asserts they are from a cause the owner did not know about and could not have known about in its first lawsuit<\/em>. The complaint does not make this allegation. . . . \u201cWe can conceive of no logical reason\u2019 why the first suit should encompass the first leaks but not the later ones. That is, whatever physical cause accounted for the first leaks apparently is still at work, but the first suit settled the liability for that physical cause. The second suit simply tried to relitigate a resolution the owner disliked and would prefer to escape. Claim preclusion bars this repetitive attack on finality.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

(emphasis in original).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, noted the Court of Appeal, while the Supreme Court has written that \u201cthe primary right theory is notoriously uncertain in application\u201d and legal scholars have stated that \u201cno one knows what it means in practice,\u201d lower courts (i.e., the Courts of Appeal) must follow the guidance of the Supreme Court, and that analyses \u201cbuttresses the conclusion that the first judgment bars this second suit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

So there you have it folks. Or, perhaps, there you don\u2019t have it. If a subsequent claim is based on a \u201cprimary right\u201d previously adjudicated, the subsequent suit will be barred under the doctrine of claim preclusion, although no one really knows how to apply it in practice, until of course, you have to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

When one of your cases is in need of a construction expert, estimates, insurance appraisal or umpire services in defect or insurance disputes – please call Advise & Consult, Inc. at 888.684.8305, or email experts@adviseandconsult.net<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Garret Murai | California Construction Law Blog Generally, I think restraint in litigation is a good thing. Don\u2019t go crazy on your claims, don\u2019t go nut-so in your discovery, and don\u2019t present your case at trial in a way that causes the judge and\/or jury to raise their eyebrows or shake their heads in disbelief.… Continue reading Claim Preclusion: The Doctrine Everyone Thinks They Know But No One Really Knows What it Means in Practice<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[10885],"tags":[9895,11],"class_list":["post-901116","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-property-insurance-claims","tag-advise-consult","tag-insurance-claim","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\nClaim Preclusion: The Doctrine Everyone Thinks They Know But No One Really Knows What it Means in Practice - 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