B&b Welding, Inc., V. Scarsella Bros., Inc.

CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedSeptember 2, 2025
Docket86240-5
StatusUnpublished

This text of B&b Welding, Inc., V. Scarsella Bros., Inc. (B&b Welding, Inc., V. Scarsella Bros., Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
B&b Welding, Inc., V. Scarsella Bros., Inc., (Wash. Ct. App. 2025).

Opinion

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON DIVISION ONE

B & B WELDING, INC., No. 86240-5-I

Appellant,

v.

SCARSELLA BROS., INC.; and SB STRUCTURES, LLC, UNPUBLISHED OPINION

Respondents,

LIBERTY MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANY; and CITY OF TUKWILA,

Defendants.

BOWMAN, A.C.J. — In 2016, Scarsella Bros., Inc. and SB Structures, LLC

(collectively Scarsella) executed a material purchase agreement (MPA) with

B & B Welding, Inc. (B&B) to furnish the materials needed to construct a bridge in

Tukwila. When B&B delivered the bridge pieces, they did not fit together. As a

result, Scarsella refused to pay. B&B corrected the issues but refused delivery

until Scarsella paid additional costs. After the parties entered a settlement

agreement, B&B delivered properly fitting bridge pieces. B&B then sued

Scarsella for breaches of the MPA and the settlement agreement. Scarsella

counterclaimed, alleging B&B materially breached the MPA. Following a bench

trial, the court entered findings of facts and conclusions of law determining that

B&B breached the MPA, and it offset Scarsella’s damages by the unpaid contract No. 86240-5-I/2

balance. B&B appeals, arguing several findings are unsupported by substantial

evidence and challenging the court’s conclusions. B&B also argues the court

erred by refusing to award it prejudgment interest on Scarsella’s unpaid contract

balance and by awarding Scarsella attorney fees and costs under the settlement

agreement. Finding no error, we affirm. And we deny both parties’ requests for

attorney fees and costs on appeal.

FACTS

In April 2016, the city of Tukwila contracted with Scarsella to construct the

“Tukwila Urban Center Pedestrian/Bicycle Bridge.” In June 2016, Scarsella and

B&B executed an MPA under which B&B agreed to provide the materials needed

to construct the bridge. B&B agreed that “[a]ll materials furnished under this

agreement shall be satisfactory to [Scarsella] and shall conform strictly with the

drawings and specifications and all modifications thereof on file.” And that B&B

would preassemble the bridge using a method provided in section 6-03.3(28) of

the Washington State Department of Transportation’s 2016 “Standard

Specifications for Road, Bridge, and Municipal Construction” (WSDOT

Specifications).1 The total contract amount was $883,575.

Scarsella contracted with Adams & Smith, Inc. to erect the bridge. In April

2017, B&B delivered the pieces to Scarsella at the bridge assembly site. During

assembly, parts of the bridge’s top chord did not align and the bridge erectors

could not fit the pieces together. Scarsella returned the bridge pieces to B&B’s

1 The MPA does not include explicit language requiring that B&B comply with the

WSDOT Specifications. But several witnesses testified, and the trial court found, that B&B agreed to comply with the specifications in its bid for the job.

2 No. 86240-5-I/3

shop for modifications and refused B&B further payment. B&B modified the

pieces, preassembled the bridge, and then disassembled it but refused to deliver

the modified parts until Scarsella paid additional erection costs.

On June 6, 2017, Scarsella and B&B entered a settlement agreement.

The parties agreed that in exchange for B&B’s “immediate delivery” of the bridge,

Scarsella would pay B&B $139,454 in “additional erection costs.” But Scarsella

reserved the right to

dispute B&B’s right to the Additional Erection Costs if [Scarsella] proves that B&B did not comply with the [MPA]’s requirements for bridge assembly prior to the first delivery of the bridge. The prevailing party in such a dispute shall be entitled to its attorneys’ fees and costs.

After executing the settlement agreement, B&B delivered the parts, and

Adams & Smith erected the bridge. Still, Scarsella did not pay B&B the

remaining $169,190 it owed under the MPA.

In October 2019, B&B sued Scarsella, Liberty Mutual Insurance Company,

and the city of Tukwila for breach of a public works contract and bond obligation,

breach of the settlement agreement, insurer bad faith, and unjust enrichment.2

B&B asked for judgments against Scarsella and Liberty Mutual jointly and

severally for contract amounts owed to B&B.3 Scarsella counterclaimed, alleging

B&B materially breached its obligations under the MPA by delivering defective

bridge parts. It asked for $565,261.90 in damages and an award of attorney fees

and costs.

2 In July 2020, the parties stipulated and the trial court ordered that the City of

Tukwila be dismissed without prejudice. 3 Liberty Mutual is not a party on appeal.

3 No. 86240-5-I/4

In February 2021, B&B moved for partial summary judgment as to its

liability for any problems with the bridge’s assembly. B&B argued it complied

with its obligations under the MPA, which allocated any risk of assembly “issues”

to Scarsella. The court denied B&B’s motion. In August 2022, Scarsella moved

for summary judgment on all of B&B’s claims, arguing it did not comply with the

notice and claims provisions under the WSDOT Specifications. The trial court

denied Scarsella’s motion.

In November 2023, the case proceeded to bench trial. Both parties called

expert witnesses to testify about B&B’s preassembly of the bridge and its

compliance with the WSDOT Specifications. In December 2023, the trial court

issued findings of fact and conclusions of law. The court found that the MPA

required B&B to (1) complete a preassembly of the bridge using one of the

WSDOT Specifications before delivering the pieces to Scarsella and (2) “furnish

bridge pieces that fit together at the time of delivery to Scarsella.” And it found

B&B breached the MPA. The court further found that Scarsella did not owe B&B

additional erection costs under the settlement agreement because B&B did not

complete a preassembly using one of the WSDOT Specifications methods. It

then determined that Scarsella adequately mitigated its damages and awarded it

$340,875.91. But the court also concluded B&B eventually performed its

obligations under the MPA, entitling it to the full contract amount. The court

offset Scarsella’s award by the remaining $169,190.00 due under the MPA and

issued a $171,685.91 judgment for Scarsella.

4 No. 86240-5-I/5

Scarsella then moved for attorney fees, costs, and prejudgment interest.

B&B also moved for prejudgment interest and for the court to reconsider and

amend its findings to include an express finding about B&B’s affirmative defense

of waiver and estoppel. B&B also moved to vacate the judgment under CR 52(d)

for failure “to include formal findings of fact as to the dispositive issues litigated.”

The court held a hearing and entered an order on the post-trial motions. It

denied both parties’ motions for prejudgment interest. And it denied without

prejudice Scarsella’s motion for attorney fees and costs, informing Scarsella it

“must seek to segregate those fees and costs due under the Settlement

Agreement from those that are not.” Finally, the court granted B&B’s motion for

reconsideration only to clarify that Scarsella never waived the right to have B&B

preassemble the bridge using one of the WSDOT Specification methods and

otherwise denied the motion.

In March 2024, Scarsella again moved for attorney fees and costs,

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