Supreme Court of California

In a case involving the contractual duty to defend in a noninsurance context, judgment and rulings against defendant-subcontractor is affirmed where, by their particular terms, the provisions of a pre-2006 residential construction subcontract obliged subcontractor to defend its indemnitee-developer/builder in lawsuits brought against both parties, insofar as the plaintiffs' complaints alleged construction defects arising from the subcontractor's negligence, even though: 1) a jury ultimately found that the subcontractor was not negligent; and 2) the parties accepted an interpretation of the subcontract that gave the builder no right of indemnity unless the subcontractor was negligent.

Appellate Information

• Decided 07/21/2008
• Published 07/21/2008

Judges

• BAXTER, J.

Court

• Supreme Court of California

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Anderson & Kriger, Clayton Anderson, La Mesa, Philip Y. Kim, Santa Ana;  and Richard H. Benes, San Diego, for Plaintiff and Appellant Kirk Crawford., Kabateck & Garris, Kabateck Brown Kellner, Brian S. Kabateck, Alfredo Torrijos and Richard L. Kellner, Los Angeles, for Plaintiff and Appellant Parviz Alai., Cooper, White & Cooper, Kathleen F. Carpenter, Walnut Creek, and Carol J. Stair, San Francisco, for California Building Industry Association as Amicus Curiae on behalf of Plaintiffs and Appellants., Green & Hall, Brian C. Plante and Samuel M. Danskin, Santa Ana, for Capital Pacific Holdings, Inc., as Amicus Curiae on behalf of Plaintiffs and Appellants., Newmeyer & Dillion, Thomas F. Newmeyer, Jay B. Freedman and Michael B. McClellan, Newport Beach, for Standard Pacific Corp., KB Home, The Irvine Company, Alexander Communities, Inc., Taylor Woodrow Homes, Inc., and William Lyon Homes, Inc., as Amici Curiae on behalf of Plaintiffs and Appellants.


• For Appellees:
  
• Sedgwick, Detert, Moran & Arnold, Christina J. Imre, Stephanie Rae Williams, Orly Degani and Maureen M. Home, Los Angeles, for Defendant and Appellant., Summers & Shives and Robert V. Closson, San Diego, for California Framing Contractor's Association as Amicus Curiae on behalf of Defendant and Appellant., Crawford & Bangs, E. Scott Holbrook, Jr., Covina, and Joshua J. Wes, Los Angeles, for American Subcontractors Association as Amicus Curiae on behalf of Defendant and Appellant., Horvitz & Levy, Lisa Perrochet and John A. Taylor, Jr., Encino, for California Professional Association of Specialty Contractors, Pacific Rim Drywall Association and Southern California Contractors Association as Amici Curiae on behalf of Defendant and Appellant., McAtee• Harmeyer and Jeff G. Harmeyer, San Diego, for Jeld-Wen, inc., as Amicus Curiae on behalf of Defendant and Appellant., Stephan, Oringher, Richman, Theodora & Miller, Theodora Oringher Miller & Richman, Harry W.R. Chamberlain, Los Angeles, and Robert M. Dato for American Architectural Manufacturers Association as Amicus Curiae on behalf of Defendant and Appellant.