Walton v. Hatch
Annotate this CaseChristopher Walton and Tammara Duhn hired Jacob Hatch and his construction company (collectively, Hatch) as the general contractor to build a custom home in a subdivision. Hatch drew up two proposed written contracts, but Walton and Duhn would not sign either one. Nevertheless, construction began. A dispute over what Walton and Duhn owed Hatch led Hatch to terminate his involvement in the project before the house was finished. Walton and Duhn sued Hatch for breach of contract, among other claims. The district court entered judgment in favor of Walton and Duhn and awarded damages. The Supreme Court reversed in part and affirmed in part, holding that the district court (1) erred in calculating the damages that Walton and Duhn suffered as a result of Hatch’s improper billing practices; (2) erred in finding liability and awarding damages for breach of an implied warranty that the home would be built in a skillful and workmanlike manner; and (3) did not abuse its discretion in denying Walton’s and Duhn’s application for attorney fees.
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.