The long-running legal saga pitting the city of Hartford against Centerplan Construction Co., the original developer of Dunkin’ Donuts Park, will enter a new chapter Monday when the case goes before the state Supreme Court.
Centerplan, which was fired from the stadium project in 2016, saw its first attempt to secure $90 million in damages from the Capital City squashed in Hartford Superior Court almost two years ago, but the company appealed that decision and quietly petitioned to move the case in front of Connecticut’s highest court.
In November, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case and oral arguments are scheduled to begin Monday at 9:30 a.m., court records show.
Hartford officials this week said they continue to stand by the city’s decision to part ways with Centerplan as the project’s developer.
“We always knew that Centerplan would appeal,” said Corporation Counsel Howard Rifkin, “but we have always been confident that, in firing Centerplan, the city did exactly the right thing to protect the taxpayers of Hartford from an irresponsible contractor — a position clearly and strongly affirmed in Superior Court.”
The city hired Middletown-based Centerplan and DoNo Hartford LLC — both controlled by developer Robert Landino — in early 2015 to build a ballpark for the minor-league Double-A Hartford Yard Goats.
Less than a year in, however, the project was running millions of dollars over budget and months behind schedule. The developers got an extension, but by the spring of 2016, it had become increasingly clear that the stadium would not be completed on time.
Subsequent inspections of the property turned up a number of problems, including hot water pipes that didn’t work properly and a non-functional scoreboard. The issues forced the Yard Goats to play their first season on the road.
In May 2016, Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin called the $47.1 million bond on the project. One month later, the city’s contract with Centerplan was officially terminated, and performance bond insurer Arch Insurance Co. hired a new contractor to complete the stadium.
Landino maintained that the project was behind schedule because of multiple last-minute design changes ordered by the city of Hartford.
Arch Insurance later sued Centerplan, and Centerplan subsequently sued the city of Hartford, setting up a nearly three-year legal battle that culminated in a Superior Court trial over the summer of 2019.
The jury ultimately sided with the city, finding that Centerplan and DoNo were responsible for the cost overruns and delays that prompted their dismissal from the project. The developers were ordered to pay Hartford $335,000 in damages.
Centerplan petitioned to have the jury’s verdict set aside, arguing that it should not be held responsible for mistakes made by the project’s architect. The company also found fault with the court’s instructions to the jurors, which it said tipped the scales in favor of the city.
