News & Insights

Practice Area: Architects and Engineers

Supreme Court Of Texas Clarifies How Certifying Expert May Demonstrate Knowledge Of The Defendant Design Professional’s Area Of Practice Pursuant To Texas’s Certificate Of Merit Statute

In Melden & Hunt, Inc. v. East Rio Hondo Water Supply Corporation, No. 16-0078, 2017 WL 2492006 (Tex. June 9, 2017), East Rio Hondo Water Supply Corp. contracted with Melden & Hunt, Inc. to provide engineering-design and project-supervision services for a new water-treatment plant in San Benito, Texas. Following substantial completion of the project, East…
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United States District Court For The Southern District Of New York Grants An Architect’s Motion For Summary Judgment Against Cross Claims For Indemnification And Contribution Based On Construction Deviations From The Architect’s Design

In Corwin v. NYC Bike Share, LLC, No. 14-CV-1285, 2017 WL 1399034 (S.D.N.Y. Apr. 13, 2017), the Southern District of New York granted a Motion for Summary Judgment in favor of Alta Planning + Design + Architecture of New York, PLLC (“APD”) against the City of New York (the “City”) based on deviations from APD’s…
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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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Texas’s Certificate Of Merit Statute Requires Certifying Expert To Demonstrate Knowledge Of The Defendant Design Professional’s Area Of Practice

In Levinson Alcoser Associates, L.P. v. El Pistolón II, LTD., No. 15-0232, 2017 WL 727269 (Tex. Feb. 24, 2017), the Supreme Court of Texas held Texas’s recently amended Certificate of Merit statute requires a plaintiff to accompany his complaint not only with a sworn Certificate of Merit from an expert stating the claim has merit,…
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United States Court Of Appeals For The Sixth Circuit Affirms A Lower Court’s Decision Granting A Motion For Summary Judgment Based On The Professional Services Exclusionary Provision In A Commercial General Liability Policy.

In Orchard, Hiltz & McCliment, Inc. v. Phoenix Insurance Co., Nos. 16-1176 & 16-1231, 2017 WL 244787 (6th Cir. 2017), the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit affirmed a lower court’s grant of Summary Judgment against the Engineer, Orchard, Hiltz & McCliment, Inc. (“OHM”) and in favor of Insurers, Phoenix Insurance Co….
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Court Of Appeals Of Kentucky Reverses A Lower Court’s Decision Granting A Motion For Summary Judgment Based On The Economic Loss Doctrine.

In D.W. Wilburn, Inc. v. K. Norman Berry Associates, Architects, PLLC, No. 2015-CA-1254-MR (Ky. Ct. App. Dec. 22, 2016), the Kentucky Court of Appeals reversed a lower court’s grant of summary judgment in favor of Third-Party Defendant K. Norman Berry Associates, Architects, PLLC, the architect hired by the Oldham County Board of Education to design…
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Appellate Court Affirms Grant Of Summary Judgment Based On Illinois’ Contribution Act

 In Sandlin v. Harrah’s Illinois Corp., 2016 WL 4585932 (App. Ct. Ill. September 2, 2016), the Appellate Court of Illinois (the “Appellate Court”) affirmed a lower court’s grant of Summary Judgment for Cross-Claim Defendant Hnedak Bobo Group, Inc. (“HBG”)  dismissing Cross-Claim Plaintiff Harrah’s Illinois Corporation (“Harrah’s) claims for contribution.   In 1999, Harrah’s began construction of a…
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Superior Court Of Connecticut Grants Defendant Architect’s Motion To Decide Questions Of Law And To Dispense With Jury Trial Based On The Statute Of Repose

 In Town of Windsor v. Loureiro Engineering Assoc., 2016 WL 4007747 (Conn. Super. Ct. June 20, 2016), the Superior Court of Connecticut (the “Superior Court”) granted a Motion to Decide Questions of Law and to Dispense with a Jury Trial filed by Defendants Loureiro Engineering, Inc., Newman Architects, LLC, Herbert S. Newman, and Michael Raso (collectively,…
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District Court Grants Engineer’s Motion For Judgment On The Pleadings Based On The Economic Loss Doctrine

In Venturedyne, Ltd. v. Carbonyx Inc., 2016 WL 3402807 (N.D. Ind. June 21, 2016), the Northern District of Indiana (the “District Court”) granted a Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings filed by Plaintiff/Counterclaim Defendant Venturedyne, Ltd. d/b/a Scientific Dust Collectors (“SDC”), an engineer hired by Defendant/Crossclaimant Carbonyx, Inc. (“Carbonyx”), to design and manufacture dust collection systems. …
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Illinois Appellate Court Refuses To Extend The Implied Warranty Of Habitability To Architects

In Bd. of Managers of Film Exchange Lofts Condo. Ass’n v. Fitzgerald Associates Architects, P.C., 2016 WL 2841978 (Ill. App. May 11, 2016), the Appellate Court of Illinois consolidated three appeals and affirmed the lower courts’ decisions not to extend the implied warranty of habitability to architects. All three consolidated cases involved condominium boards bringing actions…
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