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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
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
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
When does a claim for $50,000 against your business end up costing you two or three times that amount? When you lose the case you’re litigating, in full or in part, and you end up owing years of interest and attorneys’ fees...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
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
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
United States v. Int’l Fid. Ins. Co., No. 16-0472-WS-C, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16791 (S.D. Ala. Feb. 7, 2017) - This action arose out of a payment dispute between Bay South Limited, Inc. (“Bay South”) and Stephens...more