Elements for a Breach of Contract:

1. the existence of a contract;
2. plaintiff’s performance or excuse for nonperformance;
3. defendant’s breach; and
4. resulting damages.

(See Reichert v. General Ins. Co. (1968) 68 Cal.2d 822, 830.)

The Court looks to the Parties’ written agreements as clear evidence of their intentions. (Badie v. Bank of America (1998) 67 Cal.App.4th 779, 800-801.)

“When a party's failure to perform a contractual obligation constitutes a material breach of the contract, the other party may be discharged from its duty to perform under the contract. Normally the question of whether a breach of an obligation is a material breach, so as to excuse performance by the other party, is a question of fact. Whether a partial breach of a contract is material depends on the importance or seriousness thereof and the probability of the injured party getting substantial performance. A material breach of one aspect of a contract generally constitutes a material breach of the whole contract.” (Brown v. Grimes (2011) 192 Cal. App. 4th 265, 277-278.) “The mental state of the breaching party and the timing of the breach are also relevant factors to determining the materiality of a breach.” (See Schellinger Brothers v. Cotter (2016) 2 Cal. App. 5th 984, 1002.)

Furnishing/Delivery of Goods

In Halbert's Lumber, Inc. v. Lucky Stores, Inc. (1992) 6 Cal. App. 4th 1233 the Court of Appeal found that the word “furnished” should be given its ordinary meaning:

“We need only resort to the first level of statutory analysis--the ordinary meaning of the language--to determine whether the beams were ‘furnished’ to the site within the meaning of the release. The usual, ordinary import of ‘furnish’ is to make something available. The first definition of "furnish" in Webster's Third New International Dictionary (1986) at page 923, is: ‘to provide or supply with what is needed, useful, or desirable.’ To deliver materials to a job site is certainly to ‘provide" materials.’” (Id. at 1240.)