Opinion ID: 267450
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: P. L. Fears.

Text: 103 P. L. Fears was the subcontractor to furnish material and labor necessary for the ceramic tile work. The work included furnishing and installing bath accessories, access panels, shower curtain rods and shower curtains. See 210 F.Supp. at 524; Appendix 133 (Fears subcontract). The district court found that Fears had substantially performed his contract and that the work was complete except for four bathrooms that were not ready for tile and a number of bathrooms that required replacement tile (approximately 150 pieces) when the prime contractor gave him a 48-hour termination notice and changed the locks on Fears' supply house. The court found that the 48-hour termination notice was ineffective since the prime contractor took over the subcontract the day the notice was received by Fears. The court found that the prime contractor had technically breached the subcontract, noting that Fears had `had enough' and more or less acquiesced in this takeover. 210 F.Supp. at 525. The court found that Fears' balance due under the subcontract was $13,540.39. From this balance the court deducted $6,000, the amount it found was required to bring the subcontract to complete compliance. The court denied Fears' claim for $880.30 for material allegedly confiscated, noting that he had failed to prove confiscation of this property by the prime contractor. 210 F.Supp. at 525-26. 104 The prime contractor contends that a technical breach of the notice provision does not amount to a breach of the contract where the subcontractor fully acquiesced in the termination and incurred no damages or inconvenience as a result of the less than 48-hour notice. We do not read the district court's opinion as finding that Fears waived the breach. The district court said that the breach was  at least a `technical' breach   . 210 F.Supp. at 525. (Emphasis added.) We note that the prime contractor manned the job and changed the locks on Fears' supply house. Surely this constituted a repudiation of the subcontract. 105 The prime contractor also contends that Fears did not substantially perform the subcontract. He argues that there was more work to be done on this subcontract than the four bathrooms and replacement tile. This contention is supported by testimony from the contractor's witnesses. However, Mr. Fears testified that this was all the work left to be done. See, e. g. Record, 1448-49. We think, therefore, that this depended in large part upon the credibility of the witnesses. We note that the district court stated for the record that I am impressed by Mr. Fears as a competent and intelligent witness. Record, p. 1462. 106 The subcontractor contends that the cost to bring the subcontract into complete performance is $380, instead of the $6,000 as found by the district court. The prime contractor claimed some $24,558.67 as the amount necessary to complete the subcontract. See 210 F.Supp. at 525. In light of the great disparity in the evidence on this point, we cannot say that the district court's finding of $6,000 is clearly erroneous. We note that Fears himself admitted to an amount substantially above $380. See Record, pp. 1444-45. 107 The subcontractor urges that the district court erred in denying its claim for equipment allegedly confiscated by the prime contractor. The equipment allegedly confiscated and the value assigned to it by Fears is found in his testimony. Record, pp. 1443-44. As we noted earlier, the district court is not bound to accept such assigned values at face value. We think Fears has failed to prove the value of the material allegedly confiscated. 108 The subcontractor also contends that he is entitled to $14,862.69 for excess labor and material costs because of the failure of the prime contractor to prepare the site, furnish materials and to coordinate the work. After examining that portion of the record cited to us on this point [Record, pp. 1442-43] and in light of what we have said previously about the proof of excess costs to perform, we think that the subcontractor has failed in his burden of proof. 109 The subcontractor also claims $20,353.28 for lost profits. As we have noted earlier, it is incorrect to allow recovery for the profits allowed under the second-stated form of the rule when the measure of recovery is computed on the basis of the first-stated form of the rule. See text p. 744, supra. 110 The judgment as to subcontractor Fears is therefore affirmed. 111