Moulder back on the stand

Scott Moulder is back on the witness stand—this time as a witness for defendant Oconee County. After the plaintiff in the airport runway trial rested, Oconee County began its defense of the damages in excess of $1 million sought by Plateau Excavation, the project general contractor. And the county called County Administrator Moulder as its first witness. He was immediately asked by defense attorney Stephanie Burton about $75 thousand charged by the county’s law firm to represent the county for legal services associated with the project and the problems that the project ran into. Of that amount, Moulder said Oconee County, in its cross-complaint, asked Plateau to pay $17 thousand, 500 dollars. Burton also brought up Oconee’s claim for $5 thousand, 515 dollars to cover what were called “loss of opportunity” damages to pay for jet fuel sales the county missed when the project to extend the runway 600 feet ran into delay. For his part, Plateau Excacation attorney David James sought from Moulder an accounting of the $175 thousand which the county seeks from his client as liquidated damages. James questioned the witness further as to how much control in the case the county surrendered to Talbert and Bright engineers when the county and co-defendant Talbert and Bright settled their differences. In that settlement last year, Talbert and Bright agreed to pay Oconee $375 thousand. In exchange, any damages that Oconee recovers in the current trial are to go to Talbert and Bright.