Hottinger Excavating & Ready Mix, LLC v. R.E. Crawford Construction, LLC

175 F. Supp. 3d 1269, 2016 WL 1247692, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 42397
CourtDistrict Court, D. Colorado
DecidedMarch 30, 2016
DocketCivil Action No. 14-cv-00994-KMT
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 175 F. Supp. 3d 1269 (Hottinger Excavating & Ready Mix, LLC v. R.E. Crawford Construction, LLC) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Colorado primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hottinger Excavating & Ready Mix, LLC v. R.E. Crawford Construction, LLC, 175 F. Supp. 3d 1269, 2016 WL 1247692, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 42397 (D. Colo. 2016).

Opinion

ORDER

Kathleen M. Tafoya, United States Magistrate Judge

This matter is before the court on “Defendants R.E. Crawford Construction, LLC’s and Jeff Uselton’s Motion for Summary Judgment” (Doc. No. 71), to which Plaintiff has responded (Doc. No. 73) and Defendants have replied. (Doc. No. 75.) Also before the court is “Plaintiffs Motion for Summary Judgment” (Doc. No. 72), to which Defendants have responded (Doc. No. 74) and Plaintiff has replied. (Doc. No. 76.)

STATEMENT OF FACTS

In 2012, Akron Family Dollar Store, LLC (“Akron FDS”) hired independent contractor, Defendant R.E. Crawford Construction LLC (“Crawford” or “Crawford Construction”), to construct a Family Dollar Store in Akron, Colorado (the “Project”). (Doc. Nos. 71-1, 71-2, 71-3.) Crawford Construction received total disbursements from Akron FDS in the amount of $523,249 for the Project. (Doc. No. 74-2 at 124.) Jeff Smith of Crawford Construction testified that these disbursements were handled consistent with his general practice of maintaining an accounting sheet, or escrow sheet, which lists all of Crawford Construction’s active projects. (Doc. No. 72-4 at 36-37.) Within each project, Mr. Smith keeps an accounting of moneys paid in and out. (Id.) The money received for each project is held in escrow in this manner until it becomes due to the vendors. (Doc. No. 72-4 at 36-37; Doc. No. 77-2 at 2-3; Doc. No. 77-3.)

In or around April 2012, Crawford Construction hired various subcontractors for the Project, including Defendant Coastal Elite, LLC (“Coastal Elite”). (Doc. No. 71-4; Doc. No. 72-2 at 1.) Coastal Elite was hired to complete the building erection and under the terms of the original contract, Crawford Construction was to pay Coastal Elite $126,000. (Doc. No. 71-4 at 8-9.) On May 25, 2012, the contract was increased to $152,000. (Doc. No. 71-8.)

[1271]*1271Coastal Elite hired various subcontractors, including Plaintiff. (Doc. No. 72-2 at 1; Doc. No. 74-1 at 11-12.) Coastal Elite and Plaintiff did not enter into a written contract at any point but instead relied on four verbal agreements. (Doc. No. 71-6 at 2-3.) First, Coastal Elite hired Plaintiff to erect the building for the Project, for which Coastal Elite was supposed to pay Plaintiff $18,800. (Doc. No. 71-5 at 27-28; Doc. No. 71-6 at 2-3.) Second, Coastal Elite asked Plaintiff to do the “dirt work” for the job, which included digging the foundation for the building, hauling in filling material, spreading it in layers and compacting it. (Doc. No. 71-5 at 19.) Coastal Elite was supposed to pay Plaintiff only its employees’ hourly rate plus the cost of equipment and other items needed for the project. (Id.) Third, Plaintiff agreed to finish grading the parking lot. (Doc. No. 71-5 at 124.) Finally, Plaintiff agreed to do work related to curbs and sidewalks. (Doc. No. 71-5 at 85-88.)

On July 17, 2012, Coastal Elite submitted draw paperwork to Crawford Construction, along with a Sworn Statement indicating the total amounts owed to Coastal Elite’s subcontractors and the supporting documentation. (Doc. No. 71-9.) The Sworn Statement indicated Coastal Elite owed $147,176.35 to its subcontractors, even though the total contract with Crawford Construction was $152,000. (Doc. No. 71-8; Doc. No. 71-9 at 6.) It also indicated Coastal Elite had not paid any funds to any of its subcontractors and that Plaintiff’s work on the Project was 100% complete. (Doc. No. 71-9 at 6.) Crawford Construction became concerned by the small difference between Coastal Elite’s total contract and the total amount due to its subcontractors, as well as by the fact that no funds had been paid out. (Doc. No. 74-2 at 101-02.) Based on this, Crawford decided to pay Coastal Elite’s subcontractors directly. (Id.)

On July 18, 2012, Crawford Construction requested various additional paperwork from Coastal Elite and noted that the balance of submitted invoices from Plaintiff totaled only $36,983.19, yet Coastal Elite had stated on its Sworn Statement it owed Plaintiff $49,816.15, a difference of $12,832.96. (Doc. No. 71-10.) Ed Cox, Coastal Elite’s Vice President, contacted Eugene Hottinger, Plaintiffs owner, and instructed him to create an invoice in the amount of $12,832.96 with a work description of “additional site work” because that was the amount left on the contract. (Doc. No. 71-5 at 138-39.) Plaintiff created Invoice # 8739 in this manner. (Doc. No. 71-5 at 138-39; Doc. No. 71-12.)

On July 19, 2012, Coastal Elite submitted Plaintiffs Invoice # 8739 to Crawford Construction stating, “Sorry I left this one out.” (Doc. No. 71-10.) The invoice raised red flags for Crawford as it noted that the invoice totaled $12,832.96, the exact amount of the previously referenced discrepancy, and was dated the day after Crawford was informed Plaintiffs work was completed. (Doc. No. 71-9 at 14-19; Doc. No. 71-10; Doc. No. 71-12.) Crawford was also concerned by the invoice because it was not aware of any “additional site work” that needed to be completed at that time. (Doc. No. 75-1 at 68-69, 97-98, 104.) On August 7, 2012, Crawford Construction issued a check to Plaintiff in the amount of $36,983.19, the total amount of the invoices submitted by Plaintiff, with the exception of Invoice # 8739 for which Crawford Construction requested further information from Coastal Elite. (Doc. No. 72-2; Doc. No. 74-2 at 85-88; Doc. No. 75-1 at 100, 104-05.)

On August 17, 2012, Plaintiff submitted additional invoices totaling $37,675.92 di[1272]*1272rectly to Crawford Construction, including Invoice # 8695 dated June 20, 2012, Invoice # 8744 dated July 25, 2012, Invoice # 8745 dated July 25, 2012, and Invoice # 8747 dated July 25, 2012, with a statement that these invoices had not been paid by Coastal Elite and requesting payment from Crawford Construction. (Doc. No. 71-11 at 2-6.) The four invoices arriving in August considerably heightened Crawford’s concern. (Doc. No. 71-11; Doc. No. 74-2 at 68-69, 84-88, 101-02, 104; Doc. No. 75-1 at 100-02.) Crawford noted that one of the four invoices was dated June 20, 2012, over one month prior to the submission of Plaintiff’s original invoices, while three were dated one week after Coastal Elite told Crawford that Plaintiffs work was completed. (Doc. No. 71-11; Doc. No. 75-1 at 68-69,102.) Crawford also noted the fact that #8739, which remained outstanding, was not included in the new invoices and total demanded. (Doc. No. 71-11; Doc. No. 75-1 at 68-69, 97-99,102,105.)

When Crawford received the new invoices, it continued to hold $12,832.96 in trust to pay Invoice #8739, presuming it eventually received the additional information it requested regarding the same. (Doc. No. 75-1 at 83-84, 85; Doc. No. 77-2; Doc. No. 77-3.) It also requested further information pertaining to the new invoices. Though it is not clear exactly when this request took place, Plaintiff has stated that, in response to Crawford’s request for more information, it submitted Daily Job Reports in support of its invoices “well before the lawsuit at issue was filed.” (Doc. No. 73 at 15.) However, Crawford Construction found, and Mr. Hottinger admitted, a number of inconsistencies between the Daily Job Reports and Plaintiffs invoices. (Doc. No. 71-5 at 101-03, 106-07, 112,114-17.)

For example, with regard to Invoice # 8745, Mr. Hottinger initially testified that the invoice pertained to work performed on June 13, 2012, even though the invoice is dated July 25, 2012. (Doc. No.

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Bluebook (online)
175 F. Supp. 3d 1269, 2016 WL 1247692, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 42397, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hottinger-excavating-ready-mix-llc-v-re-crawford-construction-llc-cod-2016.