Taft recently won an appeal on behalf of Konecranes Nuclear Equipment & Services, LLC. The Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals found that the Navy did not have a reasonable basis to reject four general purpose portal cranes built under a $62.2 million contract for the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. The appeal awarded Konecranes $5.375 million in delay damages and interest. While not awarding Konecranes certain damages it would incur after the date the claim was filed due to the premature nature of the damages at the time, the decision provides Konecranes a path to recover millions of dollars in costs to maintain, store, and eventually deliver the cranes, as well as the contract’s final progress payment upon delivery. The appeal involved a six-day hearing on entitlement and quantum. The Taft team included attorneys Suzanne Sumner and Bill Wagner.

Sumner is the co-chair of Taft’s Government Contracts practice and a partner in Taft’s Dayton office. She is a go-to resource for prime contractors and subcontractors alike, offering invaluable guidance on a wide range of government contract matters, including those involving multibillion-dollar contracts.

Wagner is an accomplished and successful trial attorney and a partner in Taft’s Indianapolis office. He has tried more than 60 cases to verdict involving complex, scientific issues in civil and criminal trials in federal and state courts, administrative hearings, and arbitrations throughout the country.