Global Modular, Inc. v. Kadena Pac., Inc.

222 Cal. Rptr. 3d 819, 15 Cal. App. 5th 127
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal, 5th District
DecidedSeptember 8, 2017
DocketE063551
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 222 Cal. Rptr. 3d 819 (Global Modular, Inc. v. Kadena Pac., Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal, 5th District primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Global Modular, Inc. v. Kadena Pac., Inc., 222 Cal. Rptr. 3d 819, 15 Cal. App. 5th 127 (Cal. Ct. App. 2017).

Opinion

SLOUGH, J.

*131This case arises from an insurance dispute between a general contractor, its subcontractor, and the subcontractor's general liability carrier over water damage to a construction site caused by heavy rains. The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hired Kadena Pacific, Inc. (Kadena) as the general contractor to oversee construction of its Center for Blind Rehabilitation in Menlo Park. Kadena hired Global Modular, Inc. (Global) to build, deliver, and install the 53 modular units that would comprise the rehabilitation center. Because Kadena had hired a different subcontractor to install the roofing, Global agreed to deliver the units covered only by a roof deck substrate-a three-fourths of an inch base sheet of plywood.

Kadena had originally scheduled delivery of the units for the summer months, but delivery was delayed until October and November. This meant the roofless units were exposed to the elements during the rainy season, equipped with only a plywood substrate. Despite Global's efforts to protect the units by covering them with plastic tarps, the interiors suffered water damage from October through January. In February, Kadena and Global mutually agreed to terminate their contract and Kadena oversaw the remediation of the water-damaged interiors and completion of the project.

Global sued Kadena for failure to pay and Kadena countersued, alleging Global had breached the contract in various ways, including by failing to repair the water-damaged interiors. Before trial, the parties entered a partial settlement. Global paid *823Kadena $321,975 to release all of Kadena's claims arising from the VA project except for claims covered by Global's insurance policy with North American Capacity Insurance Company (NAC), and Global received $153,025 to dismiss its failure-to-pay claims. At trial, Kadena presented evidence on the scope and cost of its water remediation and argued Global was contractually responsible for the damage. The jury agreed and awarded Kadena slightly over $1 million.

In a separate suit brought by NAC, Kadena and NAC filed competing motions for summary judgment on the issue of whether NAC's policy required it to indemnify Global for the jury's damage award. The trial court ruled in favor of Kadena, finding the damage award covered under NAC's policy as a matter of law. The court also ruled that the award must be offset by the $321,975 Global paid in settlement and that Global was liable to Kadena for $360,000 in attorney fees.

On appeal, NAC contends the trial court erred in finding the water damages are covered under its policy; Kadena argues the court erred in *132offsetting those damages with Global's settlement payment; and Global and NAC argue the court erred in awarding attorney fees. We conclude the trial court properly determined NAC's policy covers the water damages and Kadena is entitled to attorney fees. However, we reverse the offset order because Global's settlement payment did not compensate Kadena for the costs of its water remediation; the parties agreed to reserve that issue for litigation.

I

FACTUAL BACKGROUND

A. Trial on the Water Remediation Damages

Global and Kadena presented the following evidence at trial. The VA's project specifications called for a modular design consisting of 53 units totaling over 37,000 square feet. In October 2009, Kadena hired Global to build, deliver, install, and partially finish the modular units for the project, at a contract price of about $3.5 million. Global's scope of work included the units' frame, ceiling, drywall, interior finishes, the HVAC and plumbing systems, and some aspects of the roof design, such as the plywood substrate, parapets, and hatches. The scope of work excluded flooring and roofing. Article XIII of the Kadena-Global contract stated Global assumed responsibility "for any loss or damage to the [units] ... however caused, until final acceptance thereof by [Kadena]." The contract conditioned "final acceptance" upon the VA's approval of the units.

Under the overarching construction schedule, Kadena was to pour the concrete foundations, then Global would deliver the units partially constructed, set them in place on the foundation, perform the additional construction required under the contract, then align and fasten the units together to form one main segment and two side wings. After Global's work was complete, Kadena and other subcontractors would finalize the project, which included installing the roofs and flooring, stuccoing the exterior of the units, and finishing the driveways and sidewalks. The VA had selected an EPDM roof, a rubberized sheet that adheres to the plywood substrate. According to Kadena, the roofing for all 53 units had to be installed at the same time (as opposed to piecemeal, as the units were delivered) in order to ensure the roof manufacturer's extended warranty.

Initially, the project schedule called for Global to deliver and finish the units during the summer months of 2010. But for various reasons, the schedule shifted significantly *824and Global did not deliver the units to the site until October and November. The parties spent a significant amount of trial *133time on the reasons for the delay in the delivery schedule. According to Kadena's witnesses, unexpected seismic and geological issues set the project back about 118 days and Global caused the rest of the delay by failing to timely build the units, submit designs, and install weld plates in the foundation.

Shortly after Global delivered the first shipment of units in early October, it rained and the interiors suffered water damage. Kadena's project manager emailed Global's operations manager and informed him that despite Global's use of plastic tarps, "the units experienced rain leakage and damage to the drywall and insulation." Over the next four months, the rains continued on and off and the units suffered additional water damage. Kadena's project manager sent several emails to Global's operations manager over this period, directing him to remediate the water damage and reminding him Global is responsible for the damage under their contract. Global's operations manager would respond to these emails by agreeing to address the issue. At trial, Global's operations manager testified that although his crew had tried to protect the units by covering them with heavy-duty plastic tarps, the fact the units were equipped with only a roof substrate made them impossible to fully waterproof and weatherproof. He said it was unusual for a client to exclude roofing from the scope of work and that Global was used to installing the roofs in their factory, prior to delivery, "to make sure that the building is protected."

In early January 2012, Global hired ServiceMaster, a company specializing in disaster response, to assist with the water intrusion remediation. Around that same time, the roofing contractor began installing the EPDM roof. By mid-February, Global was still in the process of trying to remediate the interior water damage and had not yet completed its work on the units. At that point, the relationship between Kadena and Global had deteriorated and the parties decided to terminate their contract.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
222 Cal. Rptr. 3d 819, 15 Cal. App. 5th 127, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/global-modular-inc-v-kadena-pac-inc-calctapp5d-2017.