Huber, Hunt & Nichols, Inc. v. Moore

67 Cal. App. 3d 278, 136 Cal. Rptr. 603, 1977 Cal. App. LEXIS 1226
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedJanuary 27, 1977
DocketCiv. 2411
StatusPublished
Cited by59 cases

This text of 67 Cal. App. 3d 278 (Huber, Hunt & Nichols, Inc. v. Moore) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Huber, Hunt & Nichols, Inc. v. Moore, 67 Cal. App. 3d 278, 136 Cal. Rptr. 603, 1977 Cal. App. LEXIS 1226 (Cal. Ct. App. 1977).

Opinion

Opinion

LORING, J. *

Huber, Hunt & Nichols, Inc., an Indiana Corporation (Contractor) filed an action in Santa Clara County against The Fresno City-County Community and Convention Center Authority (Owner), the City of Fresno (City) and County of Fresno (County) and Richard R. Moore, Robert W. Stevens, Robert W. Stevens Associates and Robert Stevens Associates and Adrian Wilson Associates, a joint *284 venture (collectively Architects) to recover damages allegedly sustained as the result of the construction of a convention center complex in the City of Fresno. Defendant’s motion for change of venue to Fresno County was granted. The demurrer of Architects was sustained as to all causes of action except causes of action seven (negligence) and ten (indemnity). Owner filed a cross-complaint against Robert W. Stevens Associates to recover any moneys owner was obligated to pay Contractor.

Architects filed a first amended cross-complaint against Brandow & Johnston Associates, structural engineering consultants (Structural Engineers) and McDougald & Leino, electrical engineering consultants (Electrical Engineers) for indemnity.

At the outset of trial, the case was settled by Contractor as to Owner, City and County and the action as to said defendants was dismissed with their consent with prejudice. Owner then dismissed its cross-complaint against Stevens Associates with prejudice. The case proceeded against Architects, Structural and Electrical Engineers. By informal agreement of counsel a judgment of nonsuit was rendered against Architects on their cross-complaint against Electrical Engineers for indemnity at the conclusion of plaintiff’s case. After 74 trial days the jury returned a verdict in favor of Architects and against Contractor. The court declared a judgment in favor of Structural Engineers on Architects’ cross-complaint. On Architects’ motion to tax costs, the trial court disallowed certain items of costs claimed by Architects.

Contractor appeals from the judgment on the jury verdict in favor of Architects, the Architects appeal from the order and modification of order disallowing certain costs and from the judgment of nonsuit and judgment on jury verdict on their cross-complaints against Electrical and Structural Engineers.

Before defining the issues on appeal, it is first appropriate to consider the factual context out of which these cases arise.

Prior to February 1962, City decided to build a convention center complex consisting of three buildings connected by one roof—a convention center, a theatre and an ice rink—in the City of Fresno. City entered into a contract with Robert W. Stevens, dba Robert W. Stevens Associates, a licensed architect, to prepare the architectural plans and specifications. Later County joined City in the project and Fresno *285 City-County Convention Center Authority was created by a joint powers agreement between City and County executed under authority of Government Code, chapter 5, article 1, section 6500 et seq.

The architectural contract was assigned by City to Owner. As the magnitude of the project increased, Robert W. Stevens Associates entered into a joint venture agreement with Adrian Wilson Associates, a firm of licensed architects. After nine months of work by the Architects, the plans and specifications were approved and accepted by the Owner, checked and approved by city building department, building permits issued and public bids on them requested by the Owner. The bids were opened December 15, 1964, and Contractor’s bid of $6,398,000 was the low bid. 1

The low bid was approximately $1 million above the Architects’ estimates. Owner was uncertain that it could finance the extra cost so it negotiated with Contractor on 50 or 60 possible modifications or alternatives which would reduce the overall cost of the project. The contract with the possible modifications or alternatives was awarded to Contractor and construction began January 25, 1965. The contract required completion within 500 days.

The contract contained a liquidated damages clause of $200 for each day’s delay over 500. Owner took possession of the convention center in late September 1965 before the project was entirely completed.

The request for bids included the proposed contract which contained various provisions, some of the more relevant portions of which are set forth in the margin. 2

*286 Under the proposed contract terms as incorporated in the bid forms, the Contractor was required to carefully examine and familiarize itself with the plans and specifications and site and call the Architects’ *287 attention prior to bid to any discrepancies in or omissions from the drawings or specifications and if appropriate, amendments would be issued to all bidders prior to bid. The contract documents contemplated *288 that the Architects’ plans or specifications might contain errors or omissions and as interpreted by the parties it provided for a process which would enable the Contractor to obtain additional or supplemental information (information request I.R.) and propose changes including estimates of the cost and time for performance (change estimate C.E.) and the Owner to issue change orders (C.O.) which would specify the work to be performed, the price to be paid and the time allowed for the additional or changed work. Each C.O. was approved by the city council. The form of change orders used included a 3 in which the Contractor approved the change order and agreed that the sum specified was in complete payment of all work to be performed and materials to be supplied and which approved the time as extended. The Architects were designated in the contract as the sole arbiter regarding disputes which might arise between the Contractor and the Owner during the performance of the work. 4

*289 During the course of the work Contractor submitted 103 I.R.s, 187 C.E.s and the parties agreed on 25 C.O.s. However, the 25 C.O.s encompassed 124 C.E.s. The record is not clear as to what happened to the remaining 63 C.E.s, but presumably they were rejected by the Owner. Eight of the C.O.s 5 reduced the scope of the work resulting in deductions aggregating $152,544.41. Seventeen of the C.O.s increased or changed the scope of the work which resulted in additional charges to Owner aggregating $472,652.91. Certain of Contractor’s records indicate that as of November 30, 1972, its total costs in connection with the convention center were $6,965,518 with an additional $72,500 estimated to complete the work. 6 Contractor’s records 7 also indicate that as of November 30, 1972, its cost overrun was $337,505 which included a revised fee of $271,365.

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Bluebook (online)
67 Cal. App. 3d 278, 136 Cal. Rptr. 603, 1977 Cal. App. LEXIS 1226, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/huber-hunt-nichols-inc-v-moore-calctapp-1977.