General Contractor v. Subcontractor (Non-Performance Due to Prior Breach)

The dispute arose from a contract where one party, a general contractor, hired a subcontractor to perform specific work, but the subcontractor subsequently ceased performance, leading the general contractor to complete the work through another means and seek damages. The court upheld the lower court's decision to dismiss the general contractor's claim because the subcontractor's failure to perform was justified by the general contractor's own prior breach, specifically the failure to make required advance payments or payments corresponding to the work completed, thereby excusing the subcontractor from its obligation to continue performance under the principle of exception non adimpleti contractus.