OAKLAND, Calif., Dec. 05, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- USS Cal Builders, Inc.’s lawsuit against the South San Francisco Unified School District (SSFUSD), Case No. 16CIV02834, will be heard in San Francisco County Superior Court based on a ruling yesterday by the California Judicial Council and on a recommendation by the San Mateo Superior Court. The complaint, filed against the District on Dec. 14, 2016, seeks payment for contracts, funded by Measure J, relating to work performed at 16 schools, with amounts which may exceed $25M.
“In all my years of practice, I cannot recall another construction client that has maintained as detailed and complete records,” says Richard Finn of Burnham Brown in Oakland, an attorney for USS Cal Builders.
Craig C. Lang of Feldman & Associates, the attorney for USS Cal Builders who filed the lawsuit, states, “USS Cal Builders can and will demonstrate that the work it performed was authorized and approved by the Board and nothing was done without the Board’s knowledge. This is a case that did not need to result in a lawsuit. USS Cal Builders looks forward to resolving this in the courts now that the venue for the trial has been determined.”
USS Cal Builders is suing SSFUSD for breach of written contract, including more than $2.7M in unpaid retention funds, failure to pay more than $8M for approved extra work performed, delayed progress payments, failure to approve and process payment applications, failure to process and negotiate change orders in a timely manner, and failure and refusal to cooperate and act in good faith. In addition to amounts potentially exceeding $25M, USS Cal Builders will be entitled to two percent per month in delinquent payment penalties, attorneys’ fees and related costs.
The School Board was alerted as early as 2014 that the funds available under Measure J would be insufficient to finance the remainder of the projects. Project accounting records demonstrate the shortfall was the result of the Board’s expansion of the scope of the work at the projects’ locations.
Press contact: Craig C. Lang, Feldman & Associates, Inc.
clang@feldmanandassoc.com
(310) 312-5401