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Construction and the Neighbors
California Court of Appeal Opens Doors for Construction Defect Claims Outside of the Right to Repair Act
A common question from clients, when a dispute arises on a construction project, is whether they can recover their attorney’s fees from the other side if they pursue a case and win. More often than not, such fees are not...more
I have practiced law for 40 years, with the vast majority of that time spent as a “construction lawyer.” I have seen great… and bad… construction lawyering, both when on the other side of a dispute, as well as when serving...more
Effective March 1, 2024, the American Arbitration Association (the AAA) adopted an updated version of its Construction Industry Arbitration Rules and Mediation Procedures (the Rules), for the first time since 2015. The Rules...more
In this article, BCLP partner Shy Jackson and Aluko & Oyebode partner Ngo-Martins Okonmah are collaborating to discuss the most effective means by which to avoid disputes relating to construction and infrastructure projects...more
Earlier this year the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals joined the Second, Third, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Ninth, Tenth, and D.C. circuits in the much-anticipated en banc decision of Corporacion AIC, SA v. Hidroelectrica Santa...more
Arbitration has long been used as an alternative to litigation in construction disputes. Many construction contracts contain arbitration clauses, many of which reference specific rules established by specific arbitration...more
Since July 2019, Florida has seen an influx of over 550,000 new residents, driven in large part by economic migration from other states. This population growth has been accompanied, at least until the third quarter of 2022,...more
Many construction contracts used in the industry include clauses mandating that any disputes be decided by binding arbitration rather than a jury or bench trial. The standard AIA forms provide the parties with the option of...more
Whether it’s a custom-built home, a large housing development or a high-rise condominium or office building, legal disputes related to construction issues can be complicated. The number of primary defendants and third-party...more
Most state and federal courts have expressed a strong preference for parties to resolve their legal disputes via binding arbitration when there is an arbitration clause applicable to the dispute, but there are instances where...more
In the decision, McDonnel Group, LLC v. Great Lakes Insurance SE, UK Branch. No. 18-30817, 2019 WL 2082905, (5th Cir. May 13, 2019), the Fifth Circuit held that federal law favoring the enforceability of arbitration in...more
On September 14, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit addressed the perennially thorny issue of whether the courts or arbitrators retain the authority to resolve questions involving the enforceability of...more
A construction company, Parkerson Construction LLC, sued homeowner Jeanne Lacy Oaks claiming that Oaks owed it more than $50,000 for construction work on her home. ...more
With most of the country on stay at home orders of some variety and court closings, parties to claims, litigation, and arbitrations are adapting quickly to virtual litigation activities that are customarily done in person. ...more
On Nov. 21, the Queen Mary University of London School of International Arbitration, in partnership with the U.K.-based law firm Pinsent Masons LLP, released its ninth annual international arbitration survey focused on...more
Settlement of a complex construction dispute at mediation can mean the end to sleepless nights for our clients. Resolution at mediation avoids the unpredictable risks and inordinate costs of seeing a dispute through to the...more
Construction disputes often involve voluminous amounts of discovery, including documents in the hand of third parties. And if the case is subject to arbitration, it is likely that there will be a dispute about whether the...more
BML Properties Ltd. v. China Construction America Inc., et al., 101 N.Y.S. 3d 597 (N.Y. App. Div. 2019) - On July 2, 2019, a New York appellate court upheld a lower court ruling by Justice Saliann Scarpulla, denying a...more
As discussed in our post from last year, on August 30, 2018, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a lower court decision to compel arbitration between an Alabama steel plant owner, Outokumpu Stainless USA, LLC...more
Recent court decisions have signaled the courts’ proclivity to prefer arbitration over full-fledged litigation when provisions in construction contracts are called into question. While the courts recognize a party’s...more
It's an unfortunate fact that many construction projects end in disputes, driving the parties into some form of dispute resolution. Many of these construction disputes are resolved through arbitration, which is a process...more
Ambac Assur. Corp v. Knox Hills LLC, 2018 Ky. App. Lexis 188 (June 15, 2018) - This case involves a February 1, 2007 design/build agreement governing the rights of the several parties involved with a military housing...more
Koudela v. Johnson & Johnson Custom Builders, LLC, 2017 Ohio App. Lexis 5800 (December 29, 2017) - In this case, Nicolas and Monica Koudela (the “Koudelas”) entered into a construction contract with “Johnson & Johnson...more
An issue that repeatedly comes up in construction disputes is the scope of an arbitration agreement. Courts generally interpret agreements to arbitrate broadly, and, where the arbitrability of a specific claim has been at...more