Fulton County v. Soco Contracting Company, Inc., 2017 Ga. App. LEXIS 568 (Ga. Ct. App., November 15, 2017) 

Fulton County contracted with SOCO Construction Company (“SOCO”) to build a cultural center near the Fulton County Airport.  The contract specified that the contract sum and the contract time could only be changed according to County procedure, which required “a written, bilateral agreement (Modification) between the County … and the contractor.”

Adverse weather conditions, design delays, change order requests, and a federal government shutdown allegedly delayed the project.  Despite the County’s program manager listing more than 30 change orders in the project’s change order evaluation log, the County never issued any written change orders, including any change orders extending the contract time to account for the delays.  The County also withheld payment from SOCO.

SOCO sued the County for breach of contract and bad faith performance of contract, and it sought attorney fees and injunctive relief.Continue Reading Georgia Court of Appeals Holds That Sovereign Immunity Shields County From Contractor’s Claims Based Upon Unwritten Change Orders