Breach of Contract Lawsuit Precluded by Claimant’s Failure to Comply With Notice Requirements Which Were Conditions Precedent—Alleged Misconduct by Defendant Did Not Prevent Compliance with Conditions Precedent—Conditions Precedent Not Waived by Defendant’s Participation In an Attempt to Resolve the Dispute
The Third Department noted that, absent any claim that defendant's misconduct prevented claimant from fulfilling the notice requirements in the contract, the notice requirements were conditions precedent which, because they were not met, precluded the breach of contract lawsuit:
Claimant alleged seven specific items of damages, each of which was subject to contract provisions requiring that notice be provided to defendant within 10 work days and that certain records be kept and submitted to defendant. The contract provided that “[t]he notification and record-keeping provisions of this Contract shall be strictly complied with for disputes of any nature and are a condition precedent to any recovery” … . No party can prevail on a breach of contract claim if that party has failed to perform a specified condition precedent … . According to the contract, the contractor's failure to supply the required notice and submit the required records is deemed a waiver of any related claim by the contractor, “notwithstanding the fact that [defendant] may have actual notice of the facts and circumstances which comprise such dispute and is not prejudiced by said failure.”
Defendant established its entitlement to summary judgment by submitting proof that claimant did not comply with the condition precedent, in that claimant did not provide timely notice for the alleged items of damages and did not timely submit the required records … . In response, claimant did not provide proof that it complied with the notice and record-keeping requirements, but argued that defendant waived noncompliance, had actual knowledge of the disputed items and prevented claimant from complying with those requirements. Those arguments are unavailing. Fahs Constr Group Inc v State of New York, 2014 NY Slip Op 0885, 3rd Dept 12-18-14