News & Insights

Practice Area: Construction

COURT OF APPEALS OF OHIO FINDS CONSTRUCTION COMPANY’S DUTY TO PERFORM HOME RENOVATION IN WORKMANLIKE MANNER DID NOT EXTEND TO SUBSEQUENT HOMEOWNERS

In Wood v. MAK Investment Properties, LLC, the Court of Appeals of Ohio affirmed the lower court’s grant of summary judgment for a construction company on claims brought by homeowners, finding privity of contract was necessary to maintain a negligence action against a subcontractor for remodeling work. 2024 WL 4164066. Plaintiffs Jason Wood and Charlene…
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COURT RULES THAT NONRECOURSE PROVISION IN COMMERCIAL CONTRACT BARRED TORT CLAIMS AGAINST PARTY THAT BREACHED CONTRACT

In Iberdrola Energy Projects v. Oaktree Capital Management L.P., 2024 WL 3363321 (N.Y. App. Div. July 11, 2024), a New York appellate court held that a nonrecourse provision in a construction contract entered into by sophisticated parties barred tort claims against the alleged breaching party. Defendants Oaktree Capital Management L.P. (“Defendants”) created a special-purpose entity,…
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PENNSYLVANIA APPELLATE COURT AFFIRMS SUMMARY JUDGMENT AGAINST HOMEOWNER FINDING THAT STATUTE OF REPOSE BARRED CLAIMS FOR NEGLIGENCE AND UNLAWFUL ACTS AGAINST CONTRACTOR

In Johnson v. Toll Bros., Inc., two homeowners sued a construction contractor alleging that it had negligently constructed their house in such a manner that allowed significant water intrusion resulting in continuous damage for a period of at least five years up until the time they filed suit. 2023 PA Super 169, 302 A.3d 1231…
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SIXTH CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEALS AFFIRMS SUMMARY JUDGMENT ON THIRD-PARTY INDEMNITY CLAIM FINDING TENNESSEE STATUTE OF REPOSE FOR DEFECTS IN IMPROVEMENTS TO REAL ESTATE APPLICABLE TO CONTRACTUAL INDEMNITY CLAIMS

In Hinman v. ValleyCrest Landscaping Dev., Inc., the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the United States District Court, for the Middle District of Tennessee, Nashville Division’s grant of summary judgment to a Third-Party Defendant based on the statute of repose. 89 F.4th 572, 573 (6th Cir. 2024). The underlying claim stemmed from alleged faulty…
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