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Court Affirms $1.6B Judgment in Bahamas Mega Project Dispute

A New York appeals court has affirmed a $1.6 billion award for the developer of a Bahamas mega project against various subsidiaries of China State Construction Engineering Corporation, the world’s largest construction company...more

Statutes of Repose: Protecting the Pantheon’s Builders After Nearly 2,000 Years

Even though construction cases often involve colorful facts, legal opinions are often quite boring. When a judge writes a colorful opinion about an otherwise boring case, we tip our hat. This week we tip our hat to Judge...more

Yes, Damages for Delay: Court Permits Delay Damage Claim to Proceed

A federal court in upstate New York is permitting a subcontractor’s delay claim to proceed notwithstanding a “no damages for delay” provision in the subcontract. The case, The Pike Company, Inc. v. Tri-Krete, Ltd., involves...more

Using Construction Lien Law to Pierce the Corporate Veil: Court Upholds Breach of Fiduciary Duty Claims Against Officers of...

The corporate veil is a fundamental concept of American jurisprudence that generally shields owners and officers from the lability of the corporation. Unless the corporate veil is pierced or otherwise avoided, owners and...more

Don’t Be a Junkyard Dog: Put Your Agreements in Writing!

A federal judge in Louisiana has dished out some harsh criticism of contractors who don’t reduce their contracts to writing. The case involves the decommissioning of 26 orphaned oil and gas wells near Baton Rouge. The...more

Federal Court Emphasizes Strict Adherence to Mechanic's Lien Statute

A federal judge in New York served up a good reminder last week about the importance of dotting your i’s and crossing your t’s when it comes to perfecting a mechanic’s lien.  The case involves a payment dispute between a...more

Is It Defamatory to Call Your Contractor a Crook and a Con Man?

Not according to a decision from a federal court in Ohio. The case involves a landscaping project at a hillside home in Cincinnati. The property overlooks the Ohio River, but like many projects that become cases, it ended up...more

General Contractor Defeats Owner’s Notice Argument and Prevails in Seattle Condo Dispute

The Washington Court of Appeals recently affirmed a jury verdict and $30 million judgment for general contractor Skanska. The case involves the construction of the 41-story Nexus condominium tower in downtown Seattle. As is...more

Maximizing Recovery on Construction Claims: Don’t Forget Bond Claims, Which Could Exceed the Underlying Claim!

As construction claim lawyers, we are always on the lookout for insurance policies or “bonds” that might satisfy our client’s claim. On federal projects, this includes performance and payment bonds known as Miller Act bonds....more

Lost Productivity Damages in Construction: The Modified Total Cost Method

Here at Bradley we frequently represent clients pursuing or opposing claims for lost productivity on construction jobs. The gist of those claims is that something happened which decreased productivity and thereby increased...more

Put Up or Shut Up: Court Grants Summary Judgment for Steel Sub in Price Escalation Clause Dispute

An Illinois federal court ruled in favor of steel subcontractor Nucor in its contract dispute with Direct Steel. The project involved the construction of pre-engineering metal buildings for the Army Corps of Engineers. The...more

Don’t Put Too Much on Your Plate: Practical Advice for Thanksgiving (and Drafting a Complaint)

It’s that time of year again when we Americans stop and give thanks for all that has been provided to us by gathering with friends and family to gorge ourselves on food. The traditional Thanksgiving meal, at least where I am...more

Get the F*** Off My Site! Court Upholds Verbal Contract Termination

An Idaho court has confirmed an arbitration award for a general contractor who left a project and did not return after being told by the owner to “get the f*** off my site.” The case involves the construction of five...more

Substantial Performance v. Material Breach

All breaches are not created equal. A minor, technical breach may be deemed “immaterial.” Other breaches – so-called “material” breaches — deprive the non-breaching party of something important or essential to the purpose of...more

11th Circuit Confirms International Arbitration Award in Guatemalan Hydropower Project Dispute

Last week, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals confirmed an international arbitration award in a case involving a failed hydroelectric project in Guatemala. The project involved an Engineering, Procurement, and Construction...more

Designer Qualifies as Subcontractor Under Colorado Prompt Payment Act

The court in AECOM v. Flatiron was back at it last week with rulings on the parties’ post-trial motions. As you may recall, the case was tried to a jury earlier this year. The jury returned a verdict for AECOM in the amount...more

United States Ordered to Pay Breach of Contract Damages to Nuclear Operator in Spent Fuel Dispute

The Federal Court of Claims recently ruled in favor of the operator of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in its long-running dispute with the United States over the disposal of spent nuclear fuel (NorthStar Vermont...more

Signature Lines Matter: When a Contract Amendment Is Not Really an Amendment

Construction law is largely a matter of contract law. Yes, there are federal and state statutes that deal with construction issues and, yes, construction cases sometimes involve tort claims, but more often than not,...more

Mechanics Lien Upheld Despite Lack of Notice to Senior Construction Lender

In an unpublished opinion, a California appeals court has upheld a subcontractor’s mechanics lien claim despite the subcontractor’s failure to strictly follow the procedural requirements set forth in the mechanics lien...more

Court Confirms Jury Verdict for AECOM in I-70 Construction Dispute with FlatIron

We previously blogged about the hotly contested dispute between AECOM and FlatIron involving the I-70 construction project outside of Denver. After an 18-day trial, the jury returned a verdict last month for plaintiff AECOM...more

Second Circuit: No-Damages-For-Delay Clause Bars Claim

The Second Circuit Court of Appeals recently applied a no-damages-for-delay provision to affirm the dismissal of a demolition contractor’s breach of contract claims. The project involved reconstructing and raising the Bayonne...more

California Court Sends Solar Contractor’s Bond Claims to Arbitration

A California federal court ruled last week that a surety can enforce an arbitration clause in a contract to which it is not a party. The dispute involves performance and payment bond claims brought by solar contractor...more

Breach vs. Default — What’s the difference?

The words breach and default are often used interchangeably to indicate that somebody hasn’t done what they were legally required to do. According to Black’s Law Dictionary, the words do appear somewhat interchangeable. ...more

Limitation of Damages Clause in Contract Held Inapplicable to Subcontractor’s Change Order Claim

Construction contracts often include clauses that purport to limit the liability of one or both parties. This includes clauses that completely prohibit any claims for certain types of damages such as lost profits and other...more

The Risk of Fighting on Two Fronts: Court Admits Evidence of General Contractor’s Claims Against Other Parties

The court in AECOM v. Flatiron is back at it issuing additional evidentiary rulings as the parties head to trial later this month. These latest rulings highlight the risk of seeking the same damages from multiple parties,...more

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