Campbell County Board of Education v. Brownlee-Kesterson, Inc.

677 S.W.2d 457, 1984 Tenn. App. LEXIS 2744
CourtCourt of Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedMarch 8, 1984
StatusPublished
Cited by45 cases

This text of 677 S.W.2d 457 (Campbell County Board of Education v. Brownlee-Kesterson, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Campbell County Board of Education v. Brownlee-Kesterson, Inc., 677 S.W.2d 457, 1984 Tenn. App. LEXIS 2744 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1984).

Opinions

NEARN, Presiding Judge,

Western Section.

Campbell County School Board contracted to have a new school complex constructed. Dissatisfied with the results of the construction, Campbell County School Board filed suit against the architect, the general contractor and certain subcontractors charging them with breaches of contract in regard to the construction and sought judgment for the damages thereby sustained. After hearing all the proof the Chancellor entered judgment against defendants for varying amounts with joint and several liability to plaintiff and the defendants have appealed. United States Fidelity and Guaranty, the surety on the contractor’s performance bond, wás a party defendant to the litigation at the trial level and judgment was entered against the surety. However, that defendant has settled its differences with the plaintiff and is not a party to the appeal.

The Chancellor’s opinion, finding of facts and conclusions of law describe the matter and the issues decided by him. After making his original findings and conclusions, he was asked to find additional facts — which he did. We think a better understanding of our treatment of the issues raised on appeal will be accomplished if we here copy the pertinent parts of the Chancellor’s findings and conclusions. The Chancellor found as follows:

This case arose as a result of a high school building contract. The architect herein interviewed and received this contract for development of the project and proposed the standard AIA contract. A separate contract was awarded Black Oak Construction for site preparation. The contract for the entire project was approximately four and a quarter million dollars. The fee of the architect was approximately $250,-000.00.

Brownlee-Kesterson was the successful bidder for construction and subcontracted the roofing to LaFollette Sheet Metal. La-Follette Sheet Metal was required to provide a bond for a built up asphalt roof at the cost of the School Board. USF & G [461]*461provided LaFollette Sheet Metal’s performance bond. Celotex Corporation sold materials for the roof to LaFollette, and provided a roof bond, agreeing to repair the roof for any problems caused by failure of materials or workmanship.

The issues in this case are generally as follows: One, did the architect violate his duty of disclosure and the various duties under the AIA contract in the handling of the solution to the athletic building cracking. Is the contractor liable for subsurface conditions. Two, is the roof defective in design and application and who is responsible and for what amount. Three, are the decorative brick panels defective in design and workmanship and who is responsible and for what amount. Four, who is responsible, if anyone, for the painting required on the inside of the building from moisture from roof leaks.

Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law.

The plans and specifications prepared by the defendant architects for the roof and related, adjacent and supporting structures and materials were deficient, defective, inadequate and incomplete and did not conform to the applicable and acceptable standards of good architectural and engineering practice in the following particulars:

(a) The roof crickets were designed too small to properly move the water to the scupper drains;
(b) The expansion joints were omitted from the roof design; and
(c) The joints for the coping of the parapet walls were defectively designed in that they were not waterproof.

The foregoing are major design errors and omissions which seriously and adversely affect the strength, durability and function of the roof and appendages and proximately contributed to the failure of the roof and the entry of water into the building.

The architects did not endeavor to guard the plaintiff against defects and deficiencies in the work of the defendant, Brown-lee-Kesterson, Inc., particularly in the areas of masonry work and the roofing work; and the architects failed to reject masonry and roofing work of the defendant contractor which they knew or should have known to be defective and deficient.

The defendant architects knew that the brick and masonry work of the project did not conform to the plans and specifications nor to the acceptable standards of workmanship and not only wrongfully failed to reject said work but approved same and falsely advised plaintiff that the work had been properly and corrected [sic] executed.

In the summer of 1977, the architects wrongfully recommended to the owner that final payment be made for the roofing work and that the total project be accepted as complete when the architects

(a) knew that the roof as designed and installed was defective and deficient and had failed;
(b) knew that the coping on the parapet walls was not installed in accordance with the plans and specifications;
(c) knew or should have known that the joints specified in the plans for the coping were defectively designed in that they were not waterproof;
(d) knew or should have known from their required site observations that brick panels were not recessed as required by the plans and specifications;
(e) knew that the void behind the brick panels had not been filled with mortar as required by the plans and specifications;
(f) knew that the masonry and brick work, particularly that portion in the brick panels, had neither been executed in accordance with the plans or specifications nor in a good and workmanlike manner.

The failure of the first athletic building was caused by an unstable subsurface condition where it was constructed, which condition was known both to the architects and the contractor, Brownlee-Kesterson, Inc. before the building was constructed.

The architects acted in disregard of the plaintiffs interest and in violation of the standards of good architectural practice at [462]*462the time of commencement of the construction of the first athletic building in ordering and directing the contractor to proceed with the construction of the building when the contractor objected to proceeding with the construction because of the unsatisfactory and unstable condition of the subsurface area where the footings were to be poured.

The architects acted contrary to the standards of good architectural practice and failed to exercise that degree of care, skill and judgment required of them under the circumstances and conditions prevailing in regard to the construction of the first athletic building when they

(a) ordered construction of the athletic facility over the contractor’s objections without requiring additional borings and tests;
(b) failed to require borings and tests at each corner of the foundation of the proposed building as well as at interim points at line of foundation in all instances preceding the construction of the building;
(c) misinterpreted the tests rendered and acted upon test results which were insufficient and inconsistent.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Kerry Clay v. City of Memphis Sanitation Division
Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 2024
Chris Etters v. Knox County, Tennessee
Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 2023
Leslie Burnett Montgomery v. Gary Alan Montgomery
Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 2020
Jarvis Q. Williams v. Cherry Lindamood, Warden
Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 2018
Russell Leaks v. State of Tennessee
Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 2018
Betty Kirby v. Sumner Regional Medical Center
Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 2016
Timothy James Hardin v. Veronica Hensley-Hardin
Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 2015
Estate of Marcia Hull v. Estate of George A. Culver
Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 2015
Club LeConte v. Caroline Swann
Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 2014
Teresa Lee Walker v. Larry Alan Walker
Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 2014
Jean Meadows, etc. v. Tara Harrison, etc.
Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 2013
Mountain Commerce Bank v. First State Financial, Inc.
Court of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee, 2013
Joseph J. Levitt, Jr. v. City of Oak Ridge
Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 2012
Charles Robert Braun, Jr. v. Nita Lynn Braun
Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 2012
Cynthia Farrar v. State of Tennessee
Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 2012

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
677 S.W.2d 457, 1984 Tenn. App. LEXIS 2744, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/campbell-county-board-of-education-v-brownlee-kesterson-inc-tennctapp-1984.