Sandpebble To Be Awarded More Than $750,000 In East Hampton School District Lawsuit

A jury determined last week that Sandpebble Builders Inc. is entitled to only a portion of the damages it was seeking in a lawsuit against the East Hampton School District, based on work the Southampton firm performed between 2001 and 2005.Sandpebble was seeking $3.7 million plus accrued interest in total damages against the school district. But the jury awarded damages of $750,750, plus accrued interest for work the construction company performed, the school district said Friday. That award could nearly double with interest, to almost $1.4 million, according to Sandpebble’s attorney, Stephen R. Angel of the Riverhead firm Esseks, Hefter, Angel, Di Talia & Pasca. He also noted that the jury unanimously agreed that the school district breached the original contract with Sandpebble, and that the construction firm suffered damages as a result. “We felt very good about it,” he said on Monday. “The district spent a hell of a lot of money trying to beat us into submission, but it was a verdict that went 100 percent in favor of Sandpebble.”According to East Hampton School District Superintendent Richard Burns, State Supreme Court Justice Jerry Garguilo will schedule a pre-motion conference with both parties on June 13 to discuss the details of the jury’s decision. Mr. Burns said the district will not have to borrow money via bond issue to pay damages to Sandpebble. He noted that the total amount of accrued interest to be paid would be determined at the June 13 court conference. Regardless, he said the total amount would be “far less” than the $3.7 million Sandpebble was seeking. Mr. Angel said that Justice Garguilo gave each side 30 days to make any post-trial motions, as the lengthy court case winds to a close.In 2006, Sandpebble claimed the district wrongfully terminated its $80 million contract, then signed a contract with a different construction company for a larger, three-school renovation. In turn, the school district claimed that Sandpebble Builders abandoned the contract.The trial was put on hold until further notice in March 2014 after Justice Garguilo was assigned to the case as a new judge. The case was adjourned again in November until December or January before resuming in the first week of May of this year.In January, the East Hampton School District disclosed that the district had spent nearly $2.8 million in legal fees over the course of the 10-year dispute.