Louise Caroline Nursing Home, Inc. v. Dix Construction Corp.
Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts
285 N.E.2d 904 (1972)
Caroline (plaintiff) sought damages after Dix (defendant) breached a nursing-home construction contract by failing to complete the project on time; an auditor found the cost to complete the project using a substitute contractor was within the original contract price, meaning Caroline had suffered no compensable damages once the unpaid contract balance was accounted for. Caroline appealed, arguing she was entitled to the difference between the building's value as left incomplete and its value had the contract been fully performed.
Whether a party is entitled to the difference between the value of the project completed and the value of the project as left uncompleted as a measure of damages when the other party breaches the construction contract.