Sobel v. United States

88 Ct. Cl. 149, 1938 U.S. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 128, 1938 WL 3969
CourtUnited States Court of Claims
DecidedDecember 5, 1938
DocketNo. 42850
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 88 Ct. Cl. 149 (Sobel v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Court of Claims primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Sobel v. United States, 88 Ct. Cl. 149, 1938 U.S. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 128, 1938 WL 3969 (cc 1938).

Opinion

Geeen, Judge,

delivered the opinion of the court:

The plaintiff brings this action to recover for alleged breaches of a contract made for the construction of several hangars and work in connection therewith at Langley Field, Virginia. The material parts of the contract are set out in Finding 2.

The contract provided that the defendant was to furnish the contractor part of the materials and plaintiff the remainder. The plaintiff claims that he was led to believe by the plans, specifications and statements made by the construction quartermaster that a railroad track would be constructed parallel with and adjacent to the proposed location for the hangars and that this constituted one of the considerations for the contract. The evidence, however, fails to show that any contract or agreement was made by defendant to construct such a railroad track. In the absence of any agreement, the plaintiff can not recover for cost and expense incurred by reason of the defendant having failed to construct such a railway and the claim of the plaintiff for damage on this account is rejected.

Another claim made by plaintiff is on account of delays alleged to have been sustained by reason of a change order with reference to the foundations.

The contract showed the elevation to which the excavations for the foundations were to be extended. Shortly after plaintiff began the excavations it was discovered that the soil was unsuitable for sustaining the foundations and the matter being called to the attention of the defendant, it was ordered by the latter that the foundation at Hangar P be [165]*165placed upon piles. The defendant also issued a change order by which plaintiff’s contract price was increased by $5,867.25, of which $3,346.40 was for the construction of piling foundations for Hangars N and P in accordance with revised plans which had been determined. The construction of the pile foundations delayed the work and the change order extended the date for completion forty-five days.

The defendant contends that as the right to make changes was stipulated in the contract and the plaintiff accepted the change order, the price then fixed for the work was full compensation for making the changes and in the absence of a showing that the Government delayed the work required to make the changes plantiff can not recover his incidental costs and damages resulting from the delay occasioned. But we do not think the change made necessary by soil conditions, unknown when the contract was made, was such a change as was contemplated by the contract. The case is almost exactly similar to that of Rust Engineering Co. v. United States, 86 C. Cls. 461, 475, wherein it was said that—

The changes made necessary by reason of the conditions encountered in excavating for the foundation of the building were not reasonable changes within the scope of the drawings and specifications as contemplated in Art. 3 of the contract, but represented important changes based upon changed conditions which were unknown and materially different from those shown on the drawings or indicated in the specifications.

And it was held that the plaintiff therein might recover the extra cost directly attributable to the delay caused by the change order.

Also in Levering & Garrigues Co. v. United States, 73 C. Cls. 566, 577, it was said:

The act of the contracting officer in granting the plaintiff an extension of time in which to complete the contract equal to the delay caused by the Government does not relieve the defendant from liability to the plaintiff for losses sustained by it by reason of such delay. [Citing] Crook Co. v. United States, 59 C. Cls. 348; William, Cramp & Sons v. United States, 41 C. Cls. 164.

[166]*166Following the rule laid down in these cases, we hold that the plaintiff is entitled to recover on the item last considered.

It is conceded that defendant delayed in furnishing the roofs, but it is argued that there was no obligation to furnish the l'oofs earlier than it did and that plaintiff was not damaged by defendant’s delays in this respect. We do not agree, and hold that plaintiff is also entitled to recover on this item.

Without reviewing the evidence, which is fully set out in the findings of fact, we hold that the plaintiff is entitled to recover on account of delays caused by the defendant in the completion of the boiler houses.

Defendant also delayed in furnishing the glass, but we concur in the findings of fact made by our commissioner that the extent of such delay was so small as to be negligible.

Finding 12 shows that the plaintiff was also delayed by the failure of defendant to furnish the plumbing fixtures.

Owing to the fact that these delays to some extent overlapped, the total amount which the plaintiff was delayed through the fault of defendant can not be exactly fixed. The plaintiff makes claim for a total of 140 days’ delay, but the plaintiff can not be allowed for the delay caused by the construction of an additional hangar for the reason that the contract made provision for its erection at the option of the defendant. Plaintiff claims 40 days’ delay in this respect but whatever delay might have been caused by reason of this addition to the work was not attributable to the defendant] but caused by the contract. Upon consideration of all of the evidence we concur in the report of our commissioner that the total amount of delay attributable to defendant was approximately 90 days, and that by reason of these delays plaintiff incurred additional cost for salaries paid straight-time employees of $8,664.29, during this addition to the time necessary for the completion of the contract, and that the reasonable rental value of plaintiff’s equipment which was kept on the job for that time was $4,020.

Plaintiff asks for overhead and profit on the items mentioned in the preceding paragraph, but we think that these [167]*167items are matters of expense upon which plaintiff is not entitled to profit except as it is included in the cost of the work and that any additional overhead will be covered by the cost of salaries and the rental value of plaintiff’s equipment. Plaintiff’s claim in this respect is therefore rejected.

Plaintiff’s claim for damages on account of repairing the heating lines presents a more difficult question. The contract required plaintiff to install complete a vacuum return steam heating system and that all pipe be so installed that it might contract or expand freely without damage to any other work or injury to itself, and provided that the contractor should make a hydrostatic test of the steam pipe and that “the IT. S. will furnish the steam.” The contractor did not make a hydrostatic test but did make a test with compressed air. After the plant was turned over to the defendant and the steam was turned on, the expansion caused by the heat of the steam resulted in a number of cracks in the joints or pipes and consequent leakage. Defendant required plaintiff to repair this damage, which it did, and plaintiff now seeks to recover the cost thereof, but defendant insists that as plaintiff did not make any hydrostatic or steam tests he can not recover on this item. Plaintiff replies that defendant furnished no steam with which to make the test provided by the contract.

A proper test of the pipes and joints could not be made without steam.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
88 Ct. Cl. 149, 1938 U.S. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 128, 1938 WL 3969, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sobel-v-united-states-cc-1938.