United States v. International Fidelity Insurance Company

CourtDistrict Court, C.D. California
DecidedSeptember 4, 2019
Docket2:16-cv-08064
StatusUnknown

This text of United States v. International Fidelity Insurance Company (United States v. International Fidelity Insurance Company) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, C.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. International Fidelity Insurance Company, (C.D. Cal. 2019).

Opinion

5 6

8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT CENRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 9

11 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA for Case No. CV 16-8064 DSF (AGRx) the use and benefit of NASATKA 12 BARRIER INCORPORATED d/b/a NASATKA SECURITY, 13 Plaintiff, FINDINGS OF FACT AND 14 CONCLUSIONS OF LAW AS TO vs. PLAINTIFF’S CLAIMS 15 INTERNATIONAL FIDELITY 16 INSURANCE COMPANY, et al.,

17 Defendants. 18

19 and RELATED CLAIMS.

21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 1 INTRODUCTION

2 This action involves a dispute between Plaintiff United States of

3 America, for the use and benefit of Nasatka Barrier, Inc., d/b/a Nasatka

4 Security (Nasatka), and Third-Party Defendant North American

5 Specialty Insurance Company on the one hand, and Defendants and

6 Cross-claimants International Fidelity Insurance Company, Insight

7 Environmental Engineering & Construction, Inc. (IFIC), Cesight Joint

8 Venture (Cesight), and Everest Re-Insurance Company (Defendants) on

9 the other hand. Nasatka filed suit for breach of contract, recovery under

10 the Miller Act, and quantum meruit on February 19, 2016. This action

11 was tried before the Court from October 16, 2018 to October 18, 2018.

12 Having heard and reviewed the evidence and having considered

13 the parties’ post-trial briefs, the Court makes the following findings of

14 fact and conclusions of law.1

15 FINDINGS OF FACT

16 1. CeSight entered into contract Number W912DW-13-C-0024

17 (the Prime Contract) with the United States Army Corps of Engineers

18 (USACE-Seattle) under Project Name FY2012 Access Control Point

19 Infrastructure Phase I, PN 66206, as the prime contractor for

20 construction at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA (the Project). Tr. Ex. 74

21 (Prime Contract); Tr. Ex. 39 (defining contract as Prime Contract).

23 1 Any finding of fact deemed to be a conclusion of law is incorporated into the 24 conclusions of law. Any conclusion of law deemed to be a finding of fact is incorporated into the findings of fact. To the extent that findings of fact or 25 conclusions of law in the concurrently filed Findings of fact and Conclusions of 26 law as to Defendants’ Counterclaim, Third-Party Counterclaim, and Affirmative Defenses are relevant, they are incorporated into these Findings. 27 Where the Court declined to adopt a fact submitted by a party, the Court 28 found the fact was either unsupported, unnecessary, or irrelevant to its 1 2. USACE-Se attle was the Prime Contract holder for the

2 Project. Tr. Ex. 74, Bates NASATKA 0000295 (Contract No. W912DW-

3 13-C-0024 issued by Seattle District, Corps of Engineers); Tr. Ex. 39

4 (Subcontract), Bates NASATKA 0004037 (defining USACE-Seattle as

5 the Client);

6 3. The contracting authority for the Project was the contracting

7 officer (KO) at the Lewis Resident Office under the USACE, Seattle

8 District. TT at 422:12-424:12; 436:17-25.

9 4. IFIC and Everest, together with CeSight, as principal,

10 furnished a Miller Act Payment Bond according to 40 U.S.C. § 3131, to

11 ensure payment to subcontractors and suppliers furnishing labor,

12 materials, or both in the prosecution of the work on the Project. Tr. Ex.

13 141.

14 5. CeSight subcontracted with co-defendant Insight

15 Environmental Engineering & Construction, Inc. (Insight) to provide

16 steel decking, electrical and exterior improvements, including the Active

17 Vehicle Barrier (AVB) and Passive Vehicle Barrier (PVB) systems. Tr.

18 Ex. 39, Bates NASATKA 0004037; Dk. 117-1 at 3.

19 6. Insight entered into a $1,121,539.30 subcontract

20 (Subcontract) with Nasatka to provide all labor, material,

21 transportation, equipment, and other facility barriers with full controls,

22 automation and chain link fencing, including the installation of the

23 specified AVB and PVB systems in compliance with USACE-Seattle’s 24 Prime Contract specifications. Tr. Ex. 39 (Subcontract). 25 7. NAS furnished a Performance Bond to Nasatka for the Project.2 26 8. A dispute arose regarding Nasatka’s performance on the Project 27 and on February 19, 2016, Nasatka filed suit for breach of contract, 28 1 recovery under the M iller Act, and quantum meruit, seeking

2 $1,280,423.69 plus attorney’s fees, interest, and penalties for alleged

3 late payment.

4 9. Nasatka seeks payment of (1) the unpaid contract balance

5 under the Subcontract, (2) costs associated with work performed after it

6 completed the cinch-rampart controller, and (3) unpaid service call

7 invoices. In the alternative, Nasatka seeks equitable relief under

8 quantum meruit.

9 A. Nasatka’s Subcontract Requirements

10 10. The Subcontract incorporates provisions of the Prime

11 Contract that relate in any way to Nasatka’s work under the

12 Subcontract, including provisions of the Prime Contract required by law

13 and referenced within the Subcontract. Tr. Ex. 39, Bates NASATKA

14 004037 (Recitals); id. at Bates NASATKA 0004038, §§ 2.1-2.6

15 (Incorporation of the Prime Contract).3

16 11. Section 14 of the Subcontract provides, “If any claim or

17 dispute shall arise between [Insight] and [Nasatka] regarding

18 performance of the Work, or any alleged change in the Work, [Nasatka]

20 3 Nasatka’s objections concerning whether the Subcontract incorporates

provisions of the Prime Contract are overruled. John Scolaro’s witness

21 narrative does not state it is undisputed that Nasatka was not provided the

Prime Contract. It says that Nasatka did not receive a copy of the Prime

22 Contract when it signed the Subcontract, and that Nasatka did not receive a

copy of the Prime Contract until it asked for a copy from USACE Seattle in

23 April 2015. Dkt. 126-4 (Scolaro Witness Narrative) ¶ 21. Nasatka does not dispute that it agreed to the Subcontract, which expressly references and 24 incorporates the Prime Contract; it is therefore required to adhere to its terms. (Nasatka’s lack of diligence in ensuring that it received a copy of the 25 Prime Contract does not mean it is not bound by it, and there are no facts showing that Cesight prevented Nasatka from receiving or reviewing the 26 Prime Contract before it signed the Subcontract.) Nasatka’s objection that Cesight failed to enforce the Prime Contract or inform Nasatka that it failed 27 to comply with it is not supported by any reference to the record. Nasatka does not object that the Subcontract is otherwise unenforceable. 28 1 shall timely perform t he disputed Work and shall give written notice of

2 a request or claim for additional compensation for the disputed Work

3 within ten (10) days after commencement of the disputed Work.

4 [Nasatka’s] failure to give written notice within the ten (10) day period

5 constitutes an agreement by [Nasatka] that it will receive no extra

6 compensation for the disputed Work.” Id. at Bates NASATKA 0004044.4

7 12. Under Section 15 of the Subcontract, “[Nasatka] shall

8 perform all warranty obligations and responsibilities assumed by

9 [Insight] under the Prime Contract with respect to the Work. All Work

10 not conforming to these requirements may be considered defective.

11 [Nasatka] shall promptly correct any Work rejected by [Insight] as

12 defective or as failing to conform to the Subcontract Documents, whether

13 observed before or after completion, and shall correct any Work found to

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United States v. International Fidelity Insurance Company, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-international-fidelity-insurance-company-cacd-2019.