{"id":903319,"date":"2024-09-19T14:45:25","date_gmt":"2024-09-19T20:45:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/?p=903319"},"modified":"2024-09-19T14:45:28","modified_gmt":"2024-09-19T20:45:28","slug":"project-documents-separates-fact-from-fiction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/project-documents-separates-fact-from-fiction\/","title":{"rendered":"Court Separates Facts from Fiction \u2013 Lack of Supporting Project Documents Dooms Contractor"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Douglas L. Patin and Sabah Petrov | BuildSmart<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A recent decision from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida demonstrates how facts supported by documents generated during the project can be vital to prime contractor\/subcontractor disputes. In Berkley Ins. Co. v. Suffolk Constr. Co<\/em>., No. 19-23059-CV, 2024 WL 3631226 (S.D. Fla. July 22, 2024), following a two-week bench trial on a breach of contract claim, the court issued a decision holding that the prime contractor\u2019s mismanagement of the project ultimately caused the project\u2019s overall delay entitling the subcontractor to recover its damages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This case involved a dispute between a prime contractor, Suffolk Construction Co., its drywall subcontractor, Titus Construction Group, Inc., and Titus\u2019 surety, Berkley Insurance Company, regarding a mixed-use real estate development project located in Miami, Florida. The parties blamed each other for the delays impacting the project\u2019s substantial completion date, which ultimately slipped by 17 months.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Central to this delay dispute was identifying the controlling construction schedule for the project. The construction schedule attached to Titus\u2019 subcontract set the substantial completion date for January 31, 2018. Suffolk alleged that the owner extended the substantial completion date to March 12, 2018, and, during trial, Suffolk referenced \u201clook-ahead\u201d schedules in support of this extended completion date. The court wasn\u2019t buying it. In fact, the court noted that no witness was able to show these \u201clook-ahead\u201d schedules were produced or maintained during the project, and Suffolk could not show that these schedules were ever uploaded to the project\u2019s document management system, Procore. Moreover, because the subcontract required that all amendments must be confirmed in writing or agreed to by the parties, this \u201cghost schedule\u201d relied upon by Suffolk was not controlling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With respect to the delays caused by Suffolk, the court found that Titus\u2019 and Berkley\u2019s recounting of the events was supported by the evidence and its testimony persuasive. In reviewing the evidence, the court determined that Suffolk\u2019s handling of the project materially breached the terms of the subcontract. According to the court, Suffolk failed to coordinate trades and prepare each floor to allow Titus to complete its work timely and efficiently. Suffolk also directed Titus to jump from floor-to-floor exacerbating impacts to Titus\u2019 productivity. As the court noted, \u201cthe workflow devolved from a hoped-for orderly process to demands for piecemeal work all over the building.\u201d At one point during the project, Titus was spread out over 21 floors. Suffolk also admitted in internal emails that it disrupted and delayed Titus\u2019 work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The facts of an analogous case in Massachusetts involving Suffolk and another subcontractor on a separate project also helped persuade the court in finding for Titus and Berkley. The case, Cent. Ceilings, Inc. v. Suffolk Constr. Co., Inc<\/em>., 91 Mass. App. Ct. 231 (2017), addressed a dispute between Suffolk and Central Ceilings, its framing and drywall subcontractor on a different project. The court noted that the Massachusetts case involved \u201cnearly identical facts\u201d to those before the court. In Cent. Ceilings<\/em>, Suffolk similarly failed to coordinate the work of its trades and forced its subcontractor to work out of sequence. Based, in part, on Suffolk\u2019s troubling history with this other subcontractor, the court concluded that Suffolk had breached its subcontract with Titus by failing to coordinate other trades, directing Titus to perform work out of sequence, and inadequately managing access to the project. The court awarded Titus and Berkley approximately $4.1 million for the unpaid subcontract balance and lost productivity damages.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In reaching its conclusion, the court also rejected Suffolk\u2019s various contractual and legal defenses. The court refused to apply the contract\u2019s \u201cno damage for delay\u201d clause because Suffolk actively interfered with Titus\u2019 work by failing to, for example, prepare floors for Titus to proceed with its work sequentially and mismanaging other trades that then damaged Titus\u2019 work. Likewise, the court refused to strictly apply the contract\u2019s formal notice requirements. The court found that Titus adequately preserved its claims through dozens of informal email communications and PCO submittals that kept Suffolk informed of Titus\u2019 pending claims. Finally, in declining to apply lien releases to bar Titus\u2019 claims, the court concluded that the releases, while limiting Titus\u2019 right to claim a lien, did not extinguish Titus\u2019 right to pursue causes of action arising out of the subcontract.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This case highlights the importance of project documentation in construction disputes.  Here, Suffolk could not support its factual arguments with schedules and other project documentation. Suffolk\u2019s own internal records often contradicted the testimony and evidence it presented at trial. Further, Suffolk was unable to convince the court to enforce its technical contract defenses against Titus\u2019 claims. Suffolk\u2019s lack of a compelling factual narrative or strong legal arguments resulted in a bad day for the contractor.<\/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":"

Douglas L. Patin and Sabah Petrov | BuildSmart A recent decision from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida demonstrates how facts supported by documents generated during the project can be vital to prime contractor\/subcontractor disputes. In Berkley Ins. Co. v. Suffolk Constr. Co., No. 19-23059-CV, 2024 WL 3631226 (S.D. Fla. July 22,… Continue reading Court Separates Facts from Fiction \u2013 Lack of Supporting Project Documents Dooms Contractor<\/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":[172],"tags":[9895,27],"class_list":["post-903319","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-construction-law-2","tag-advise-consult","tag-construction-law","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\nCourt Separates Facts from Fiction \u2013 Lack of Supporting Project Documents Dooms Contractor - 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