Audubon Indemnity Co. v. Custom Site-Prep, Inc.

358 S.W.3d 309, 2011 WL 3207773
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedAugust 29, 2011
Docket01-10-00489-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 358 S.W.3d 309 (Audubon Indemnity Co. v. Custom Site-Prep, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Audubon Indemnity Co. v. Custom Site-Prep, Inc., 358 S.W.3d 309, 2011 WL 3207773 (Tex. Ct. App. 2011).

Opinion

OPINION

HARVEY BROWN, Justice.

This appeal primarily concerns the enforceability of an indemnity clause in a written construction contract between a general contractor, Comanche Contractors, Inc., and its subcontractor, CSP Site-Prep, Inc., signed after the completion of the project. In a related arbitration proceeding, the arbitrator concluded that Comanche breached its construction contract with Fort Bend County Child Advocates, Inc. and, through CSP’s subcontracted work, negligently performed work on that project. The arbitrator awarded Child Advocates over $250,000 in actual damages. Audubon Indemnity Company, acting as subrogee to Comanche, sued CSP to recover for Comanche’s liability under an indemnity provision in the written subcontract agreement. Both Audubon and CSP filed traditional summary judgment motions. The trial court granted CSP’s motion and denied Audubon’s motion.

Audubon contends that the trial court erred in granting CSP’s motion because (1) Audubon had a valid indemnity claim based on an indemnity clause that was supported by consideration and that satisfied the fair notice requirements for indemnity provisions, (2) Audubon had a valid breach of contract claim for CSP’s alleged failure to obtain insurance, and (3) Audubon raised valid objections to CSP’s summary judgment evidence. Audubon *313 also contends that the trial court erred in denying its traditional summary judgment motion because the evidence demonstrates it was entitled to indemnity as a matter of law.

We hold that the trial court could not have properly granted summary judgment on the basis of CSP’s defense that the written subcontract lacked consideration. We also hold that the fair notice requirements do not apply to Audubon’s indemnification claim. Because fair notice does not invalidate the indemnity provision and a fact issue exists on consideration, the trial court improperly granted summary judgment on all of Audubon’s indemnity claims. We also hold that the trial court improperly granted summary judgment on Audubon’s breach of contract claim for failure to obtain insurance.

We therefore reverse the judgment of the trial court.

Factual Background

This lawsuit arises out of the alleged defective construction of the Child Advocates’ office building and Child Advocates’ successful arbitration claim against Comanche. Child Advocates hired Comanche as the general contractor on the project. Comanche, in turn, hired CSP as the subcontractor to perform the earthwork to prepare the site pad before beginning construction on the building. Comanche and CSP had worked together on many projects in the past and about 75% to 80% of CSP’s business came from Comanche.

Child Advocates had originally hired an architect to prepare detailed plans and specifications for the building. Those plans and specifications called for a three-foot building pad and a certain quality of materials to be used in the pad. Comanche and CSP submitted their bids on the project based on those plans.

Comanche’s contract with Child Advocates, however, was later modified because of cost concerns. According to Comanche and CSP, Jeff Nesmith at Child Advocates instructed Comanche to do an “abbreviated” version of the pad and merely level the site as a result of budget concerns. 1 Under the terms of the oral agreement between Comanche and Child Advocates, CSP was to level the building pad and keep track of the amount of dirt necessary for the project and Child Advocates would “reimburse” Comanche for the expenses.

Consistent with the two companies’ past practices, Comanche and CSP operated pursuant to an oral agreement and did not have a written contract until after CSP completed the earthwork on the building pad. It is undisputed between Comanche and CSP that they both understood and agreed that CSP’s work was not supposed to conform to the original plans and specifications. Comanche and CSP did not discuss indemnity or specify a set price at the time of the oral agreement. 2 Nor does the record show that they discussed whether their oral agreement was subject to a subsequent written agreement.

CSP completed the earthwork. On May 21, CSP sent an invoice to Comanche and on June 24, Comanche cut a check for the amount invoiced. On June 25, CSP’s president, James Stokley, executed a sworn application and certificate for payment in which he stated that “the Work covered by *314 this Application for Payment has been completed in accordance with the Contract Documents.” Before Comanche tendered the cheek to CSP, Comanche’s vice-president, Chris Parrack, signed and sent a written “subcontract agreement” to CSP. The subcontract agreement stated that Comanche would provide all of the materials, equipment, and labor needed for the project’s earthwork “in accordance with the Drawings and Specifications prepared by Jim Gwen Architects.” The agreement also required CSP to obtain any insurance necessary or incidental to the completion of its work and contained an indemnity clause which read:

7. [CSP] agrees to indemnify and hold [Comanche] and [Child Advocates] wholly harmless from any damages, claims, demands or suits by any person or persons, arising out of or resulting from the execution of the work provided in this subcontract or occurring in connection therewith, excluding liability for negligence of [Comanche] or [Child Advocates] except in connection with general supervision of work performed by [CSP].

Finally, the agreement contained a merger clause stating in capital letters, “ALL NEGOTIATIONS AND AGREEMENTS PRIOR TO THE DATE OF THIS AGREEMENT NOT INCLUDED HEREIN ARE HEREBY VOIDED.”

Stokley signed the subcontract agreement on behalf of CSP on July 13. Comanche did not tender payment to CSP until after Stokley signed the contract. Stokley testified in his affidavit that Comanche informed him that “the only purpose” for the written subcontract was so Comanche “had a written document in its file relating to its payment” of CSP’s invoice. Both Parrack and Stokley testified that Comanche typically required CSP to sign a written, form subcontract agreement before Comanche paid for the work performed. Both also testified that these written agreements were generally signed after CSP completed its work. Parrack testified that the form subcontract agreements always included an indemnity provision of some kind.

Stokley testified that he never read the entirety of the form agreements; he typically only read the terms regarding the price. He further testified that the parties had never discussed indemnity until the issue arose in this dispute and that he does not understand how indemnity operates.

Child Advocates sued Comanche over construction problems discovered after the building was completed and the trial court directed the parties to arbitrate.

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Bluebook (online)
358 S.W.3d 309, 2011 WL 3207773, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/audubon-indemnity-co-v-custom-site-prep-inc-texapp-2011.