How to terminate service contract on delayed work?

[aircw2005]

Jurisdiction

Washington

Hi there:

We hired a structural engineer to perform structural design work for our custom home. The engineer keeps delaying the work past his promised date. So we want to terminate the contract with him but haven't notified him yet.

The original contract states that 50% of payment will be paid after the signing and the invoice, the other 50% paid upon delivery of the work. Upon termination, we need to pay services upon termination date.
As of now, he refused to show any proof of the work progress.

We plan to send him an email of contract termination. My questions are:
1. What should we say in that email? Should we ask him to show the proof the work up to the email receipt?
2. Is there any way to not to pay the 50% deposit? We suspect that no work has been performed yet.

Thanks in advance!

 

[army judge]

Hi there:

We hired a structural engineer to perform structural design work for our custom home. The engineer keeps delaying the work past his promised date. So we want to terminate the contract with him but haven't notified him yet.

The original contract states that 50% of payment will be paid after the signing and the invoice, the other 50% paid upon delivery of the work. Upon termination, we need to pay services upon termination date.
As of now, he refused to show any proof of the work progress.

We plan to send him an email of contract termination. My questions are:
1. What should we say in that email? Should we ask him to show the proof the work up to the email receipt?
2. Is there any way to not to pay the 50% deposit? We suspect that no work has been performed yet.

Thanks in advance!

First of all, terminating someone with a contract by email is foolish, and could be terminal for you.

The contract, if properly drafted by a lawyer, should detail how to break the contract.

Before you do anything stupid, I suggest you discuss this with a lawyer near you.

If there is a mechanism to terminate the party and legally break the contract, instruct the lawyer to do it on your behalf.

 

[zddoodah]

You're seeking specific legal advice, and you can't get that from an internet message board (and especially not from folks who haven't read your contract). Consult with a local attorney.