Royal Electric Construction Corp. v. Ohio State University,
73 Ohio St. 3d 110, 652 N.W.2d. 687, 1995 Ohio LEXIS 18905 (Ohio Sup. Ct. Aug. 15, 1995)
Prejudgment Interest – Contractor that succeeded on delay and disruption claim was entitled to pre-judgment interest from the date of substantial completion; Ohio rejects rule that pre-judgement interest is only available when claim is “liquidated” or “capable of ascertainment.”Continue Reading Ohio Supreme Court Holds Contractor Entitled to Prejudgment Interest on Damages for Delay and Disruption; Liquidated/Unliquidated Damages Dichotomy Rejected

United States of America, for the Use and Benefit of Evergreen Pipeline Construction Co., Inc. v. Me,
No. 90 Civ. 5106, 890 F. Supp. 1213, 1995 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9385 (S.D.N.Y. July 7, 1995)
Oral Requests for Extra Work – Under New York law, either oral directions to perform extra work, or a general course of dealing may effectuate a waiver or modification of contract provisions which otherwise expressly require written authorization or notice of such extra work claims. No Damage for Delay – Under New York law, an exculpatory “no damage for delay” clause will not be enforced where the delay was: 1) not contemplated by the parties 2) caused by the contractor’s bad faith, or willful, malicious, or grossly negligent conduct; 3) so unreasonable that it constituted an intentional abandonment of the contract; or, 4) the result of a fundamental breach of the contract by the contractor. Punitive Damages – Punitive damages on purely contractual claim will not be awarded where there is insufficient evidence for a jury to conclude that public rights were implicated or that objectionable conduct was directed at the public generally. Prejudgment Interest – Subcontractor is entitled to prejudgment interest for services rendered seven years before judgment was entered. Rule 11 Sanctions – Defendants’ assertion of a civil RICO counterclaim without sufficient basis therefor warrants imposition of sanctions under Rule 11. Attorney’s fees awarded as a Rule 11 sanction is a matter committed solely to the discretion of the district court. In ascertaining “reasonable” fees, the court must bear in mind that the principined a verdict in favor of subcontractor Evergreen and found that Merritt materially breached the subcontract and that certain provisions regarding extra work and delay damages were either waived or eliminated by the parties. Merritt filed various post trial motions challenging the jury’s verdict regarding: the oral requests for extra work under a contract which required that all such requests be in writing; the award of delay damages under a contract with an express “no damage for delay” provision; and challenging the propriety of permitting a claim for punitive damages to be submitted to the jury. Evergreen also filed various post trial motions seeking prejudgment interest and attorney’s fees incurred in defending baseless civil RICO claims.Continue Reading District Court in New York Finds Evidence Sufficient to Support Waiver of Written Change Order Requirement and Bad Faith Exception to Enforceability of "No Damage for Delay" Clause in Subcontractor Miller Act Suit