Architects & Engineers

Surveyors

Surveyors practice in a specialized field, with its own set of challenges and pitfalls. LGWM understands the surveying profession and the legal issues that surveyors face.

LGWM has represented Surveyors in litigation involving residential homes, subdivisions, commercial buildings, municipal projects, manufacturing plants, water treatment facilities, sewer pipe layouts, parking decks, road construction, and public facilities. We have also worked with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to reestablish flood plain elevations to negate claims based on existing FEMA maps.

While LGWM is proud of its success representing Surveyors in litigation, we believe the best defense is to avoid litigation if that reasonably can be done. We counsel our surveyor clients in risk management and litigation avoidance. We also assist our Surveyor clients in contract preparation and pre-claim dispute resolution.

Cases of Note

  • Represented an aerial surveyor which performed survey work for a power line construction project in Hawaii. Claims against the surveyor for negligence, wantonness, and breach of contract arose out of the allegedly inaccurate resolution and data file type of the survey.
  • Represented surveying firm in a dispute arising from the construction of an airport cargo project. As a result of alleged inaccurate data collected during the survey, construction costs were caused to be significantly increased.
  • Represented a surveying company against claims arising from the survey of a residential subdivision. Issues involved a roadway which ultimately failed and slid down an adjoining slope. Allegations against the surveying company exceeded $1.4 million.
  • Represented a real property surveyor against claims of negligence, fraudulent misrepresentation, breach of warranty, and nuisance. Issues involved the alleged failure to identify a right of way easement held by the State of Alabama.
  • Represented a subdivision surveyor against claims of negligence. Claims by the Plaintiff were for the devaluation of the property built below the floodplain due to allegedly incorrect benchmark elevation levels.
  • Represented a real property surveyor against claims of negligence, wantonness, and fraudulent misrepresentation in connection with an elevation survey. Claims in the dispute were in excess of $200,000.
  • Represented a surveying company against allegations of deficient design in connection with storm drain repairs. Claims in the dispute were in excess of $650,000.
  • Represented a surveyor who provided a boundary survey, elevation certificates, and the legal description for a project. Claims against the surveyor related to allegedly deficient survey certificates.