Lyter v. City of Louisville
Lyter v. City of Louisville
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
The specifications defining the nature of the work and made part of the contract provide that no allowance will be made for caving or sliding unless it is caused by some alteration by the city engineer in the depth or width of the trench, and not by the peculiarity of the soil. For .any extra work the engineer’s estimate of the cost and ten per cent, added is the amount to which the appellant is entitled. By the terms of the contract the appellant undertook to complete the work within ninety days, unless further time should be given him by the city authorities. It was certainly contemplated by all parties when the contract was made that the time for fulfilling it was ample, and but for the prevention of its execution by the sudden or unexpected rise in the river it perhaps would have been completed within the time limited by the contract.
The city, however, permitted its completion after the time had elapsed, and received it, as it now contends under the contract, and there is no reason why appellant should not recover if the city has failed to pay him. Much of the work had been done by appellant within the ninety days, but by reason of the cessation of the work made necessary by the high water there was no labor performed under the contract from November, 1873, until June, 1874; and when the appellant began his work in June he found the trenches filled with sand, the sides or banks of the trenches fallen in, so as to require much labor and a considerable expenditure of means to place the work in the condition it was in November, 1873.
It is insisted that much of this extra labor was caused by permitting the water from Paddy’s Run to escape through this sewer so as to drain a large area of ground, and that this constant flow of water caused the banks to cave in and additional excavation necessary.
The specifications provided for this lumber, and it seems to be useless for any other purpose. The city dispensed of the white oak apron and substituted another, leaving the timber on the ground, and of little, if any, value to the appellant. Although the city had the right to change the work in the mode of its execution, it was too late after the lumber had been hauled upon the ground to say to the appellant we will dispense with the lumber and you, the contractor, are entitled to no compensation. It should have been, and must be regarded (the delivery of this lumber) as a part execution of the work, as much so as if the city had ordered the white oak apron taken up after it had been laid in the trench; and while the change may have been proper, with the right on the part of the city to make the alteration, it must pay the appellant the damages he has sustained. The lumber is the property of the city, and its value should
We see nothing in this case authorizing any damages for the appellant other than the value of the lumber. He received upwards of $4,000 for extra work, and in this sum is included $864 for sloping banks and opening trench.
The judgment is reversed and cause remanded with directions to enter a judgment for the appellant for $900 with interest from the date of filing this petition.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.