Prepakt Concrete Co. v. Augusto Menendez Construction Corp.

293 F. Supp. 638, 1968 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9823
CourtDistrict Court, D. Puerto Rico
DecidedOctober 21, 1968
DocketCiv. No. 474-65
StatusPublished

This text of 293 F. Supp. 638 (Prepakt Concrete Co. v. Augusto Menendez Construction Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Puerto Rico primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Prepakt Concrete Co. v. Augusto Menendez Construction Corp., 293 F. Supp. 638, 1968 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9823 (prd 1968).

Opinion

FINDINGS OF FACT AND CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

CANCIO, Chief Judge.

This is a diversity action brought by the plaintiff The Prepakt Concrete Company (Prepakt) against all of the defendants to recover for labor and materials furnished by Prepakt in the construction of the United States Post Office, San Juan, Puerto Rico, The defendants Beacon Construction Company of Massachusetts, Inc., Norman B. Leventhal and Robert Leventhal (Beacon) and the defendant Augusto Menéndez Construction Corporation (Ameco) each asserted a cross-claim against the other, each of which seeks, in summary, to compel the other (and its surety) to bear the burden of the Prepakt claim.

The cross-claims were separated, pursuant to Rule 42, Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and heard prior to the trial of the principal case.

In addition to the evidence taken at the hearing of the cross-claims, the Court also considers those facts established by prior proceedings before the Court and which were taken as undisputed in the Court’s order of August 18, 1966.1

The Court being fully advised upon the premises, makes and adopts the following

FINDINGS OF FACT

1. On June 25, 1964, Beacon entered into a contract with the United States Post Office Department (the Post Office contract) to construct, on a pre-selected site, a new postal facility, in Hato Rey, Puerto Rico, and lease the completed building to the United States.2

2. Beacon, as the successful bidder (or lessor) under the Post Office contract, had the right to construct the building itself or to engage the services of another contractor.

3. Ameco, a Puerto Rican corporation, has been in existence since 1960, when its president Augusto Menendez arrived in Puerto Rico (Tr. 11-12).

4. Menendez, a native of Cuba, spent two years in Florida prior to coming to Puerto Rico (Tr. 12).

5. Ameco had submitted a bid to the Post Office Department in competition with that submitted by Beacon (Tr. 13). Its personnel were, therefore, familiar with the construction requirements of the building.

6. In July of 1964, Ameco submitted to Beacon a proposal for the construction of the Post Office (Tr. 14-15, Ex. 5). The proposal contained a “break down” of Ameco’s proposed price into its component elements.

7. On August 20, 1964, Ameco entered into a written contract with Beacon (the Ameco contract, Ex. 1-1)3 to [640]*640furnish all materials, tools and equipment and perform all labor necessary to complete the construction of the post office for a fixed price of $3,845,000.00.

8. The contract included a schedule of allowances (Appendix A), which were agreed “to be the cost allowance amount to the Contractor of such described work and are embraced in the contract price. * * *” (Ex. 1-1, Section II).

9. The contract further provided that subcontracts for the cost allowance items “are to be entered into” by Beacon on the latter’s subcontract form, the total contract price to be adjusted by the difference between the amount of any subcontract and the amount allowed for that work in the schedule of allowances (Ex. 1-1, Appendix A).

10. The contract further provided (Ex. 1-1, Appendix A) that the assignment of any subcontract to Ameco would convey to Ameco all of Beacon’s rights under the subcontract and that Ameco would assure all of Beacon’s obligations under the subcontract.

11. The contract also provided that any disputes arising under the contract were to be processed in accordance with the provisions of Clause 11, the Disputes Clause, of Post Office Department General Conditions,4 that Ameco should have no claim for additional compensation for extra work against Beacon except to the extent that Beacon should have such a claim against the United States, and that Beacon would allow Ameco the use of its (Beacon’s) name in the prosecution of any such claims (Ex. 1-1, Section VI).

12. Contemporaneously with the execution of the Ameco contract, Ameco as principal, and the defendant Great American Insurance Company as surety (Great American), delivered to Beacon a performance bond (Ex. 1-2) and a payment bond (Ex. 1-3), each in the penal sum of $2,500,000.00.

13. The condition of the payment bond was that Ameco “and his subeontractors shall promptly make payment to all persons supplying to them labor and material in the prosecution of the work provided for in said contract, and * * * indemnify and save harmless * * * Beacon * * * against any expenditure or loss, including counsel fees, arising from claims asserted against * * * Beacon * * * by those claiming to have supplied labor and materials to said principal or his subcontractors.”

14. Under date of July 6, 1964, Prepakt entered into a subcontract with Beacon to furnish and install all labor, material and equipment to install the concrete piling required by the Post Office contract for a fixed price of $237,-000.00 (Ex. 1-4).

15. By letter dated September 1, 1964, Beacon informed Ameco that the Prepakt subcontract (and two others) had been assigned to it (Ex. 1-6).

16. At the time the Ameco contract was executed on August 20, 1964, no one in the Ameco organization was aware of the existence of the Prepakt contract (Tr. 7-8).

17. Ameco received these subcontracts in early September, 1964, and was immediately aware that the subcontracts had been signed prior to the signing of its own contract with Beacon and immediately raised objections to them. (Tr. 21).

18. Ameco objected that the schedule of operations contained in the Prepakt subcontract did not conform to its own schedule of operations (Tr. 23, Ex. 7). It also insisted that it be named as an additional obligee on the performance and payment bonds issued in connection with all subcontracts Beacon had sent it (Ex. 1-11). Finally Ameco objected to the fact that the Prepakt contract was executed before the Ameco contract (Tr. 24-25).

19. Ameco refused to accept contract revision number 1 until November 19, 1964 by which time all its objections [641]*641had been remedied except Ameco’s objection in relation to the earlier execution of the Prepakt contract (Tr. 30). Beacon promised to remedy this latter situation but never did. (Tr. 25).

20. At the same time the subcontracts were sent to Ameco by Beacon, there was also sent a form headed “Purchase Order” and designated Contract Revision #1, the effect of which was to reduce the amount of Ameco contract by $123,400, representing the difference between the amount of the allowances for piling, plumbing and electrical work contained in the Ameco contract and the actual amounts of the subcontracts entered into by Beacon and assigned to Ameco (Ex. 1-9, Ex. 6, Tr. 26).

21. On October 7, 1964, Prepakt and its surety executed a rider to the performance and payment bonds given by them to Beacon, whereby Ameco was substituted as obligee in the place of Beacon (Ex. 1-14C).

22. Beacon also granted and Ameco, on November 19,1964, accepted, a thirty-day extension of the time for performance of the Ameco contract (Ex. 8, Tr. 30).

23. Thereafter, Ameco treated with Prepakt as its subcontractor in the project.

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Bluebook (online)
293 F. Supp. 638, 1968 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9823, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/prepakt-concrete-co-v-augusto-menendez-construction-corp-prd-1968.