Where is the best place to start when you have been away from work for a family emergency? Naturally, you go back to the basics. In my next few posts, I review some of the "basic building block" or "essential" construction cases every contractor should know. The first two are Spearin and Luria Bros.
U.S. v. Spearin, 248 U.S. 132 (1918) is perhaps the most important construction case to understand. Spearin established the well-known rule that the government/owner impliedly warrants the adequacy of its design. The United States Supreme Court held that detailed specifications describing the work "imported a warranty that if the specifications were followed, the sewer would be adequate. This implied warranty is not overcome by general disclaimer clauses requiring the contractor to examine the site, check the plans and specifications and assume responsibility for the work until completed." The rule, which has come to be known as the Spearin Doctrine, has, for years, allowed contractors to recover the costs incurred as a result of defective design specifications provided by the government. The Spearin Doctrine has been adopted by most states.
In Luria Bros. v. U.S., 369 F.2d 701 (Ct. Cl. 1966), the Court of Claims further expanded upon the Spearin Doctrine to make clear that the government must timely correct its defective design. The court found that the original specifications were defective. When defective specifications delay the work, the court reasoned, the contractor is entitled to recover damages. In Luria Bros., the government was dilatory in recognizing the need for and in revising defective specifications, which constituted a breach of the implied obligation not to do anything that would hinder or delay the contractor’s performance.
Both Spearin and Luria Bros. provide a legal assurance to contractors that additional costs may be recovered for defects in the design by the owner.
Next post features what is an equitable adjustment.
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