Reference no: EM131701978

Johnson contracted to lease a house to Fox for $700 a month, beginning October 1st. Fox stipulated in the contract that before he moved in, the interior of the house had to be completely repainted. On September 9, Johnson hired Keever to do the required painting for $1000. He told Keever that the painting had to be done by October 1st, but did not explain why. On September 28, Keever quit for no reason, having completed 80% of the work. Johnson then paid Sam to finish the painting, but Sam did not finish until October 4th. When Fox found that the painting had not been completed as stipulated in his contract with Johnson, he leased another home. Johnson found another tenant who would lease the property for $700 a month, beginning October 15. Johnson then sued Keever for breach of contract, claiming damages of $650. This amount included the $300 Johnson paid Sam to finish the painting and $350 for rent for the first half of October, which Johnson had lost as a result of Keever's breach. Johnson had not yet paid Keever anything for Keever's work. Can Johnson collect the $650 from Keever? Explain using the measure of damages.