There is a good chance your contract contains conditions precedent to payment. Such conditions precedent to payment include waivers and releases of lien (and, perhaps, claims) and contractually required warranties. Make sure to comply with conditions precedent to payment!
In a case where a subcontractor sued a payment bond surety, the court held the subcontractor’s lawsuit was premature because the subcontractor did not comply with a condition precedent to payment, that being the submission of a release in satisfactory form. Until such condition precedent was satisfied, payment was not due and owing the subcontractor.
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