Apex Directional Drilling, the company that earlier this year abruptly halted work on part of the Martin Slough Interceptor, a massive sewer system upgrade, is suing the City of Eureka for upwards of $6,280,000, according to a complaint filed May 23 in Humboldt County Superior Court.

The complaint alleges breach of contract for construction of public work, breach of duty of good faith and fair dealing, and breach of warranty and fraudulent concealment.

Apex’s argument centers around its claim that the city misrepresented the soils that Apex would be drilling in. Apex says its drillers encountered mainly sand, which prolonged the work and made it more difficult; the company even left its expensive drill steel behind, inside Pine Hill, saying the hole had collapsed around it. The complaint seeks damages plus interest and costs of the suit.

In April, after Apex's accusations became public, city staff declined to discuss in detail Apex' accusations. But City Engineer Charles Roecklein did offer that the city "worked very hard trying to come up with a reasonable way forward with Apex." 

You can read our previous coverage of the dispute here and here. And here’s a link to the complaint:

See related PDF Apex_sues_Eureka.pdf