Turner Construction Company v. MJ Flaherty Company (Lawyers Weekly No. 12-028-17)
1 COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS SUFFOLK, ss. SUPERIOR COURT CIVIL ACTION NO. 13-2308 TURNER CONSTRUCTION COMPANY vs. MJ FLAHERTY COMPANY MEMORANDUM OF DECISION AND ORDER ON PLAINTFF’S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT and PLAINTIFF’S MOTION TO STRIKE THE EXPERT REPORT OF JACK GRANT INTRODUCTION This case arises out of a subcontract between the plaintiff, Turner Construction Company (Turner), and the defendant MJ Flaherty Company (Flaherty). Turner was the general contractor on the construction of a 23 story commercial building at 157 Berkeley Street and certain related remodeling of an adjacent building for Liberty Mutual Insurance Company (the Project). Flaherty entered into a subcontract with Turner to perform the HVAC work on the Project (the Subcontract). The initial value of the Subcontract was $ 12,462,252. Turner brought this action against Flaherty to recover damages that it alleges that it suffered when Flaherty failed to complete its work on the Project and Turner had to hire another subcontractor to complete the HVAC work.1 Flaherty has asserted counterclaims against Turner. Some of these claims are based on Turner’s failure to pay Flaherty for all of the work that it performed. Here, the amount in dispute 1 Turner’s complaint also includes allegations concerning subcontracts that Turner entered into with Flaherty on two other projects, a new building at University of Massachusetts at Lowell and a Liberty Mutual Conference Center. Turner alleges that Flaherty also failed to complete these projects causing it damage; however, the focus of this litigation appears to be the 157 Berkeley Project. It seems that Flaherty is no longer in business. 2 is complicated by the fact that in early 2013 several sub-subcontractors and material suppliers to Flaherty were not being paid and began to file notices of contract in anticipation of asserting mechanics’ liens on the Project. In response, Turner entered into a series of agreements with Flaherty pursuant to which it issued checks to Flaherty for subcontracted work that were made jointly payable to Flaherty and the vendors to insure that they were being paid out of the sums Turner was disbursing to Flaherty. Flaherty, however, also has alleged that as a result of the manner in which Turner ran the Project, Flaherty was so adversely affected that the value of Flaherty as a going concern was adversely impacted and this resulted in a $ 6.4 million reduction in Flaherty’s “new worth.” This is, of course, a paradigm claim for consequential damages. This claim is the subject of the motion now before the court. It would be an extraordinary understatement to say that this case has a tortured procedural history. Turner has filed two previous motions for summary judgment that the court was unable to decide on their merits because they […]
Turner Construction Company v. MJ Flaherty Company (Lawyers Weekly No. 12-028-17)
1 COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS SUFFOLK, ss. SUPERIOR COURT CIVIL ACTION NO. 13-2308 TURNER CONSTRUCTION COMPANY vs. MJ FLAHERTY COMPANY MEMORANDUM OF DECISION AND ORDER ON PLAINTFF’S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT and PLAINTIFF’S MOTION TO STRIKE THE EXPERT REPORT OF JACK GRANT INTRODUCTION This case arises out of a subcontract between the plaintiff, Turner Construction Company (Turner), and the defendant MJ Flaherty Company (Flaherty). Turner was the general contractor on the construction of a 23 story commercial building at 157 Berkeley Street and certain related remodeling of an adjacent building for Liberty Mutual Insurance Company (the Project). Flaherty entered into a subcontract with Turner to perform the HVAC work on the Project (the Subcontract). The initial value of the Subcontract was $ 12,462,252. Turner brought this action against Flaherty to recover damages that it alleges that it suffered when Flaherty failed to complete its work on the Project and Turner had to hire another subcontractor to complete the HVAC work.1 Flaherty has asserted counterclaims against Turner. Some of these claims are based on Turner’s failure to pay Flaherty for all of the work that it performed. Here, the amount in dispute 1 Turner’s complaint also includes allegations concerning subcontracts that Turner entered into with Flaherty on two other projects, a new building at University of Massachusetts at Lowell and a Liberty Mutual Conference Center. Turner alleges that Flaherty also failed to complete these projects causing it damage; however, the focus of this litigation appears to be the 157 Berkeley Project. It seems that Flaherty is no longer in business. 2 is complicated by the fact that in early 2013 several sub-subcontractors and material suppliers to Flaherty were not being paid and began to file notices of contract in anticipation of asserting mechanics’ liens on the Project. In response, Turner entered into a series of agreements with Flaherty pursuant to which it issued checks to Flaherty for subcontracted work that were made jointly payable to Flaherty and the vendors to insure that they were being paid out of the sums Turner was disbursing to Flaherty. Flaherty, however, also has alleged that as a result of the manner in which Turner ran the Project, Flaherty was so adversely affected that the value of Flaherty as a going concern was adversely impacted and this resulted in a $ 6.4 million reduction in Flaherty’s “new worth.” This is, of course, a paradigm claim for consequential damages. This claim is the subject of the motion now before the court. It would be an extraordinary understatement to say that this case has a tortured procedural history. Turner has filed two previous motions for summary judgment that the court was unable to decide on their merits because they […]