GEORGE SANDERS, Individually and d/b/a SMS Contractors, Inc. v. BREATH OF LIFE CHRISTIAN CHURCH, INC., ET AL. (Tenn. Ct. App. January 13, 2012)
This is a contract case. The construction contract at issue provided for a specific contract amount plus a commission to the general contractor on any work done beyond the additional contract amount. After being dismissed from the job, the project manager for the general contractor sued both the general contractor and the owner of the property. The general contractor and the property owner then both sued the project manager and each other.
After the property owner failed to satisfactorily respond to discovery requests, the trial court excluded all evidence of the property owner's damages that had not already been provided in detail in discovery. The parties proceeded to trial, at which point the chancellor ordered that all issues of damages beyond the base contract damages would be referred to a special master.
After trial, the chancellor found that the property owner materially breached the contract and awarded the remaining balance to be paid on the contract to the general contractor. The special master awarded the project manager damages for work performed as a direct subcontractor on the project and awarded the general contractor delay damages and the commission on all extra work done on the project. The trial court concurred in the findings of the special master and the property owner appealed, raising a number of issues. We affirm in part, vacate in part, and remand for further proceedings.
Opinion available at:
http://www.tba2.org/tba_files/TCA/2012/sandersg_011312.pdf
