De Laval Steam Turbine Co. v. United States

70 Ct. Cl. 51, 1930 U.S. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 459, 1930 WL 2432
CourtUnited States Court of Claims
DecidedApril 30, 1930
DocketNo. A-82
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 70 Ct. Cl. 51 (De Laval Steam Turbine Co. v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Court of Claims primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
De Laval Steam Turbine Co. v. United States, 70 Ct. Cl. 51, 1930 U.S. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 459, 1930 WL 2432 (cc 1930).

Opinion

CrREEN, Judge,

delivered the opinion of the court:

The plaintiff brings this suit to recover what it alleges to be just compensation for the action of the defendant in canceling four contracts which plaintiff held, and directing work thereon to cease.

It appears without dispute from the evidence that in the years 1917 and 1918 the plaintiff, which is a builder of turbine equipment for the propulsion of vessels, had entered into thirteen contracts with various parties for the construction of such equipment. Of these contracts, only three give rise to any controversy involved in the case, namely, those entered into with the following-named parties: G. M. Standifer Construction Corporation, Turbine Equipment Company — Luckenbach, and Supple & Bal-lin. The other contract in dispute was made directly with defendant by plaintiff for the construction of the same kind of equipment. In the early part of the year 1918, and after plaintiff had incurred cost and expenditures on these con[61]*61tracts, the United States Shipping Board Emergency Fleet Corporation served upon plaintiff a notice and order of requisition with reference to each of the three contracts above mentioned as having been made with parties other than the Government, and by letter signed by one of its officials separately advised plaintiff and the several parties with whom these contracts had been made that the several contracts had been requisitioned by the Government, and that the United States would make just compensation for the turbine equipment which the plaintiff was required to complete, and that the Emergency Fleet Corporation assumed the responsibility of these contracts and would make payment to plaintiff; also, in several letters with reference to these contracts, stated both that the Government had requisitioned the contracts, and that it had requisitioned the turbine equipment.

While plaintiff was engaged in providing materials and carrying on the work necessary to complete the contracts hereinabove referred to, including the contract made directly with the Government, the defendant notified plaintiff to stop work thereon, which it accordingly did. Defendant paid plaintiff for such work as had been performed on the contracts, and it was later agreed between the plaintiff and the Fleet Corporation that plaintiff should take over the materials acquired and on hand at its plant for the performance of said contracts at a salvage value specified for each contract and amounting to a total of $20,149.88, for which the Fleet Corporation took credit.

In addition to the profits which plaintiff alleges it would have made had it been permitted to carry out the contracts, the plaintiff seeks to recover all actual costs and expenditures incurred in the work up to the time it was stopped by the direction of the Shipping Board, together with’ the cost of caring for, handling, and storing materials from the time when the work was stopped until the defendant finally directed the disposition thereof, and also for extraordinary expense which plaintiff claims was incurred by reason of being compelled to stop the work on the contracts. With reference to these claims the defendant, while conceding that plaintiff is entitled to just compensation for [62]*62damages received by the cancellation of the contracts, insists that plaintiff can in no event recover for prospective profits, that the amount of damages claimed by plaintiff on account of actual expenditures for work and materials and as compensation for handling and storing materials greatly exceeds the amount which can properly be allowed on account of these claims. Defendant also insists that plaintiff is not entitled to anything whatever on its claim for extraordinary expense alleged to have been caused by interference with the orderly procedure of plaintiff’s shop work by reason of the cancellation of the contracts.

These defenses constitute the issues in the case and present for decision the following questions:

First, whether plaintiff can, in any event and on any of the contracts, recover for prospective profits, and if so in what amount?

Second, if not entitled to recover prospective profits, whether plaintiff can recover the value of its contracts at the time of cancellation, if they had a value ?

Third, what amount should be allowed plaintiff for actual costs and expenditures?

Fourth, what amount should be allowed plaintiff as cost of caring for, handling, and storing materials ?

Fifth, whether plaintiff should be allowed anything for extraordinary expense, and, if so, in what amount?

Another question which has hot been discussed in argument also arises as to whether plaintiff is entitled to interest on the items which make up the amount of its recovery.

Considering the first of these questions, we find that defendant contends that under the act of June 15, 1917, 40 Stat. 182, ch. 29, the Government had the right to cancel all or any part of the work provided for by these contracts whether between the Government and another party or between private parties, where the Government had taken over or requisitioned the contracts, and that it has been so held in Russell Co. v. United States, 261 U. S. 514, 519-521, and that the same rule is laid down in Meyer Scale & Hardware Co. v. United States, 57 C. Cls. 26, and having this right there can be no recovery in the case except for actual costs and expenditures, etc.

[63]*63It is clear that the Government had the right of cancellation for the act of June 15, 1917, authorized the President, in subdivision (b) thereof—

‘£ (b) To modify, suspend, cancel, or requisition any existing or future contract for the building, production, or purchase of ships or material.”

In Russell Co. v. United States, supra, it was held that this provision of the statute applied to all contracts in relation to ships and materials therefor, whether between the Government and another party or between private parties; and in the same case, the court said:

“ The contract, we must assume, was entered into with the prospect of its cancellation in view, since the statute was binding and must be read into the contract. The possible loss of profits therefore must be regarded as within the contemplation of the parties.”

The decision in the Russell Co. case, therefore, clearly determines that when such contracts were entered into after the enactment of the statute to which reference has been made, there can be no recovery for prospective profits.

While two of the contracts in question were entered into prior to the time that the statute referred to went into effect, an examination of the decisions of the Supreme Court leads us to the conclusion that the plaintiff must be denied a recovery for prospective profits on these contracts also. In giving our reasons for this conclusion it becomes necessary to accurately keep in mind the facts in the case at bar in order to properly apply the rules laid down by the Supreme Court.

Counsel for plaintiff contend that it is entitled to just compensation for the acts of the Government, and that under the decisions of the Supreme Court just compensation is the value of the property taken at the time of the taking.

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Related

White v. United States
82 Ct. Cl. 218 (Court of Claims, 1936)
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54 F.2d 182 (Court of Claims, 1931)
Nitro Powder Co. v. United States
71 Ct. Cl. 369 (Court of Claims, 1930)

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Bluebook (online)
70 Ct. Cl. 51, 1930 U.S. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 459, 1930 WL 2432, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/de-laval-steam-turbine-co-v-united-states-cc-1930.