TT&H Attorney Nick Schaufelberger Wins Breach of Contract Action

Attorney Nick Schaufelberger recently prevailed in a breach of contract matter in Charles County, Maryland, in front of The Honorable Thurman Rhodes.  The suit concerned repair work performed on the Plaintiff’s vehicle in February 2021.  At that time, the Plaintiff had brought his vehicle to Nick’s client, a repair shop, complaining that the vehicle would not start after having been involved in a crash.  While servicing the vehicle, the Defendant-shop found that the vacuum pump had exploded inside the engine.  Following repair work by the Defendant, the Plaintiff drove the vehicle for several weeks before again experiencing engine-related issues in April 2021.  At that time, it was discovered that an engine cylinder was broken and had to be replaced.

In a suit seeking $4,000 in damages, the Plaintiff contended that the service performed by Defendant in February 2021 should have prevented a later engine failure.  However, testimony from two of the Defendant’s mechanics confirmed that the broken engine cylinder was an entirely separate issue that was not present at the time the vehicle was serviced in February 2021.  The mechanics testified that, had an issue with the cylinder been present at the time of the service in February, the vehicle would not have started even after the vacuum pump was repaired.  Finding that a breach of contract did not occur, Judge Rhodes concluded that the Defendant exercised reasonable care and diligence in assessing and repairing the vehicle at the time of service in February 2021.

Questions about this case can be directed to Nick Schaufelberger at (202) 945-9506 or nschaufelberger@tthlaw.com.