Florida Appellate Court Finds Post-Closing Repair Work May Delay Start Of Construction Defect Statute Of Repose

Practice Area: infomedia

Florida Appellate Court Finds Post-Closing Repair Work May Delay Start Of Construction Defect Statute Of Repose

In Busch v. Lennar Homes, LLC, No. 5D16-1626, 2017 WL 1372085 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. April 13, 2017), Florida’s Fifth District Court of Appeals found the trial court improperly dismissed the Homeowner’s complaint regarding construction defects based on the ten year statute of repose.  The Court determined the Homeowner’s complaint was not barred by the…
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Aaron Ashcraft Obtains Defense Verdict In Shelby County, Alabama

In Lawley v. Chelsea Hidden Acres, Aaron Ashcraft obtained a defense verdict from Judge Sonny Conwill following a bench trial. The Plaintiff alleged she sustained an injury in the course and scope of her employment as a patient care tech, lifting a resident out of a bed on July 23, 2013. This allegation remained consistent…
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Fifth Circuit Clarifies Treatment Of Independent Counsel Fees In Mississippi

In Federal Ins. Co. v. Singing River Health System, 850 F.3d 187 (5th Cir. 2017), the Fifth Circuit overturned a district court decision that briefly left insurers in doubt whether fees paid to independent counsel could erode the limits of a burning-limits liability policy.  In Moeller v. American Guar & Liab. Ins. Co., 707 So….
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United States District Court For The Northern District Of Ohio Denies A Motion For Summary Judgment Based On The Plain Meaning Of An Engineering Services Contract

In United States of America v. Osborne, No. 4:11-CV-1029, 2017 WL 1135640 (N.D. Ohio March 27, 2017), the Northern District of Ohio denied a Motion for Summary Judgment filed by Third-Party Defendant William R. Gray Associates, Inc. (“Gray”) based on the permit procurement obligations in Gray’s agreement for engineering services with Third-Party Plaintiff City of…
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New York Appellate Court Finds Contractor Not Liable For Defects When Following Owner’s Instructions Under Design Specification Contract

In CGM Const., Inc. v. Sydor, 42 N.Y.S.3d 407 (N.Y. App. Div. 2016), the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division for the Third Department, held a contractor was not liable for alleged inadequate work performed on the owner’s property, because the contractor followed the owner’s instructions when performing the work.  The Court found the contract…
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Court Dismisses Cerlca Claims Against Church And Disposal Company

The United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York has held that Defendants responsible for dumping hazardous waste in a town park are not liable under CERCLA because they did not know of the hazardous nature of the material dumped.  Town of Islip v. Datre, 47 E.L.R. 20049 (E.D.N.Y. 2017).  In 2013,…
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Finra Arbitration 2016 Statistics

Arbitration case filings for year-end 2016 reflected a 7 percent increase compared to cases filed in 2015 during the same time frame.  More specifically, 3,435 cases were filed in 2015, but 3,681 cases were filed in 2016.  Of the 3,681 cases filed, 68 percent or 2,519 were customer disputes and 32 percent or 1,162 were…
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Court Dismisses Plaintiff’s Lawsuit For Failure To Comply With Discovery

In Horton v. Hinton, 26 ALW13-4 (2150631), the Court of Civil Appeals affirmed a trial court’s dismissal of a lawsuit based on plaintiff’s failure to comply with discovery orders.    In February 2015, Brianna Horton filed suit against Bria Hinton alleging that Hinton drove her motor vehicle negligently and/or wantonly causing the subject motor vehicle…
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Eleventh Circuit Holds Insurer Need Not Reimburse Pre Tender Fees

The Eleventh Circuit recently affirmed summary judgment in favor of an insurer on the issue of pre-tender defense costs in EmbroidMe.com, Inc. v. Travelers Property & Casualty Company of America, 845 F.3d 1099 (11th Cir. 2017). Applying Florida law, the court denied the insured’s breach of contract suit for over $400,000 in fees incurred before…
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