News & Insights

Practice Area: Architects and Engineers

Rhode Island Supreme Court Rules Engineer That Prepared Documents For Public Bidding Did Not Owe Duty To General Contractor

In John Rocchio Corporation v. Pare Engineering Corporation, 2019 WL 575822 (R.I. Feb 13, 2019), the Warwick Sewer Authority (“WSA”) contracted with Pare Engineering Corporation (“Pare”) to provide pre-bid services, including preparing a Request For Proposal (“RFP”) to be provided to general contractors submitting bids.  Pare completed the RFP and WSA received bids from five…
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District Court Of Appeals Of Florida Upheld The Admissibility Of Expert Testimony Pursuant To Daubert Because The Testimony Was Not Based On New Scientific Methods

In D.R. Horton, Inc. – Jacksonville v. Heron’s Landing Condo. Assoc. of Jacksonville, Inc., 2018 WL 6803698 (Fla. 1st DCA Dec. 27, 2018), the District Court of Appeals of Florida, affirmed the trial court’s decision to allow expert testimony related to construction defects, even though the testimony was admitted pursuant to the Daubert standard, rather…
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Pennsylvania Superior Court Holds The Certificate Of Merit Requirement Does Not Apply To Third Party Claims Related To Plaintiff’s Claims

In Kelly Systems, Inc. v. Leonard S. Fiore, Inc., 2018 WL 5629644 (Pa. Super. Ct. October 31, 2018), the Pennsylvania Superior Court held the requirement to file a Certificate of Merit to support a professional negligence claim does not apply to third party complaints. Leonard S. Fiore, Inc. (“Fiore”) was hired to design and build…
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Louisiana Federal District Court Rules Contractor Could Not Recover For Acts Of Contract Administration Made By Architect In Good Faith

In Patriot Contracting, LLC v. Star Insurance Company, 2018 WL 1123586 (U.S. Dist. Ct., E.D. La.), the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana ruled that exculpatory clauses in the general contract benefitting the architect were enforceable.  The State of Louisiana (the “State”) contracted with Defendant The Architectural Studio/James Dodds, AIA Corporation…
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The Court Of Appeals Of Michigan Holds That An Architect Owed No Common Law Duty To Owner For Alleged Professional Negligence

In Auburn Hills Tax Increment Finance Authority v. Haussman Construction Co., 2018 WL 385057 (Mich. Ct. App. January 11, 2018), the Michigan Court of Appeals held that the owner of a construction project could not maintain a professional negligence claim against the architect for failing to adequately review payment applications. The Auburn Hills Tax Increment…
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