Phillips/May Corp. v. United States

76 Fed. Cl. 671, 2007 U.S. Claims LEXIS 123, 2007 WL 1227696
CourtUnited States Court of Federal Claims
DecidedApril 19, 2007
DocketNo. 06-47 C
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 76 Fed. Cl. 671 (Phillips/May Corp. v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Court of Federal Claims primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Phillips/May Corp. v. United States, 76 Fed. Cl. 671, 2007 U.S. Claims LEXIS 123, 2007 WL 1227696 (uscfc 2007).

Opinion

[672]*672 OPINION AND ORDER

GEORGE W. MILLER, Judge.

This matter is before the Court on defendant’s motion for summary judgment. Defendant filed its motion for summary judgment (“Def.’s Mot.,” docket entry 17) on October 27, 2006. Plaintiff Phillips/May Corporation filed its response to defendant’s motion for summary judgment (“Pl.’s Resp.,” docket entry 23) on November 27, 2006. Defendant filed its reply in support of its motion for summary judgment (“Def.’s Reply,” docket entry 26) on December 11, 2006.

For the reasons set forth below, the Court grants defendant’s motion for summary judgment.

BACKGROUND 1

On April 11, 2001, plaintiff was awarded Contract No. N62467-01-D-0257 (“Contract”), for the design, labor, materials, and equipment necessary to construct the Religious Ministry Facility at the Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base (“NAS-JRB”) in Fort Worth, Texas. Def.’s PFUF ¶¶1-2. Plaintiff was responsible for the rehabilitation of an existing chapel as well as for building a new one-story brick building of approximately 5,700 square feet next to the existing chapel. Pl.’s PFUF ¶ 1. The Notice to Proceed on the Contract was issued on May 23, 2001, and the work was to be completed in 256 calendar days. Id. ¶¶2-3. Ultimately, however, plaintiff completed, and the NAS-JRB accepted, the Religious Ministry Facility on June 24, 2003, over 800 days after plaintiff began work. Id. ¶¶ 4-5; Def.’s PFUF ¶ 4.

Plaintiff was paid $1,229,385.30 for its work under the Contract. The Contract originally provided for payment of $1,197,333.00, and plaintiff received an additional $32,052.30 because of contract modifications. Def.’s PFUF ¶3.

On November 7, 2003, plaintiff submitted to the Contracting Officer (“CO”) at NAS-JRB a certified claim for “delay, mal-administration of the contract, over-zealous inspection' and impossibility.” Pl.’s PFUF ¶6. As of January 2006, the CO had not issued a final decision on plaintiffs certified claim. Compl. ¶7. Plaintiff deemed the CO’s failure to act to constitute a denial of its claim, pursuant to the Contract Disputes Act (“CDA”), 41 U.S.C. § 605(c)(5) (2000), and filed an appeal of that deemed denial in this Court on January 19, 2006. Compl. 1.

In addition, between July 10, 2003, and November 12, 2003, plaintiff submitted to the CO nine other claims related to its work under the Contract. Def.’s App. 1 — 11. The CO failed to act on any of the other nine claims and so, between October 5, 2003, and January 29, 2004, plaintiff appealed each of those nine claims to the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals (“ASBCA”). Id. In accordance with the ASBCA’s rules, plaintiff elected to have its claims tried pursuant the Small Claims Accelerated Procedure set out in Rule 12.1 of the ASBCA’s rules, which applies to claims of less than $100,000, and requires the ASBCA to render its decision within 180 days. Pl.’s Resp. 7; 41 U.S.C. § 607(f); see, e.g., Def.’s App. 4.

The parties settled one of the nine appeals while it was pending before the ASBCA. Def.’s PFUF ¶7. Administrative Judge John I. Coldren, III, heard the other eight appeals in Fort Worth, Texas, between March 29, 2004, and April 2, 2004. Id. In each of the eight appeals, plaintiff sought compensation for costs incurred, due to the alleged conduct of the Government, while performing the Contract. In those appeals, plaintiff demanded recompense for: (1) the Navy’s alleged delay in accepting the Phase I construction (ASBCA No. 54331); (2) delay caused by the Navy’s alleged failure to timely repair a leaking gas line (ASBCA No. 54332); (3) delays caused by various modifications to the Contract (ASBCA No. 54333); [673]*673(4) delay caused by the Navy’s alleged failure to timely respond to a differing site condition encountered by plaintiff while installing chilled water lines (ASBCA No. 54349); (5) delay caused by the redesign of the Religious Ministry Facility (ASBCA No. 54393); (6) the 42-day extension necessitated by changes to the fire alarm control panel (ASBCA No. 54394); (7) delay caused by changes to the design of the foundation allegedly required by the Government (ASBCA No. 54484); and (8) delay resulting from miscellaneous other changes allegedly made to the Contract (ASBCA 54421). Pl.’s Resp. 3; Def.’s PFUF H1f 9-47; Def.’s App. 1-41. Judge Coldren issued a bench decision in each of the appeals. Def.’s PFUF ¶ 8.

Although plaintiff raised a claim of overzealous inspection during the hearing on ASBCA No. 54331, the ASBCA decision did not rule on that claim, and over-zealous inspection was not addressed in any of the other appeals. Pl.’s PFUF ¶¶10-13. Similarly, plaintiff did not present, and the ASBCA did not consider, any claims related to mal-administration or impossibility of performance of the Contract. Id. ¶¶14-21.2

On April 10, 2006, the parties filed a joint motion for suspension of proceedings in this case (docket entry 7), which this Court granted on April 11, 2006 (docket entry 8), in order to allow the CO to issue a final decision on plaintiffs claims submitted on November 7, 2003. On June 9, 2006, the CO rendered a final decision, denying in their entirety plaintiffs claims for delay, mal-administration of the Contract, over-zealous inspection, and impossibility. Pl.’s PFUF 118.

DISCUSSION

1. Standard of Review

The Court may grant summary judgment if the record shows that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Rule 56(c) of the Rules of the United States Court of Federal Claims (“RCFC”); Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 247-48, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). A fact is material if it might affect the outcome of the suit. Liberty Lobby, 477 U.S. at 248, 106 S.Ct. 2505.

“The moving party bears the burden of demonstrating the absence of a genuine question of material fact____” O’Connor v. United States, 308 F.3d 1233, 1240 (Fed.Cir. 2002) (citing Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 325, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986)). The Court must view the evidence in the light most favorable to the nonmovant and resolve all doubts in the nonmovant’s favor. Id. (citing Liberty Lobby, 477 U.S. at 255, 106 S.Ct. 2505). The movant may also discharge its burden by “demonstrat[ing] that there is an absence of evidence to support the nonmoving party’s case.”" Doe, 48 Fed.Cl. at 500 (citing Celotex, 477 U.S. at 325, 106 S.Ct. 2548). Once the movant has met its burden, the nonmovant must “proffer countering evidence sufficient to create a genuine factual dispute” in order to avoid summary judgment. Sweats Fashions, Inc. v. Pannill Knitting Co., 833 F.2d 1560, 1562 (Fed.Cir.1987).

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
76 Fed. Cl. 671, 2007 U.S. Claims LEXIS 123, 2007 WL 1227696, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/phillipsmay-corp-v-united-states-uscfc-2007.