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Practice Area: Construction

Appeals Court Of Massachusetts Applies Statute Of Repose To Dismiss Counts For Negligence, Breach Of Contract, And Indemnification Because Negligence Was At Issue In Each Count

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In Univ. of Massachusetts Bldg. Auth. v. Adams Plumbing & Heating, Inc., 102 Mass. App. Ct. 1107 (2023), the Appeals Court of Massachusetts upheld the dismissal of the Plaintiffs’ claims because negligence was at issue in each count and thus barred by the Massachusetts’ statute of repose. In 2013, the University of Massachusetts Building Authority…
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Supreme Court Of Texas Applies Arbitration Clause In Purchase Agreement Against Non-Signatory Minor Children Under Direct Benefit Estoppel Theory

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In Taylor Morrison of Texas, Inc. v. Skufca as Next Friend of KSX, the Supreme Court of Texas determined minor children who join their parents as plaintiffs in breach of contract claims based on construction defects in the home they resided in may be subject to arbitration clauses within the applicable purchase agreement based on…
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Court Of Appeals Of North Carolina Permits Waterproofing Subcontractor To Pursue Some Third-Party Claims Against Fellow Subcontractors

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In Ascot Corporation, LLC v. I&R Waterproofing, Inc., the Court of Appeals of North Carolina recently held that a subcontractor responsible for waterproofing could properly pursue the manufacturer of the waterproofing system for breach of the implied warranty of merchantability, but not for breach of express warranty, contribution, or negligence-based indemnity. Additionally, the Court held…
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Indiana Court Of Appeals Affirms Partial Summary Judgment For General Contractor Sued By Subcontractor Employee To Whom The General Contractor Owed No Contractual Duty

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In Tinsley-Williamson ex rel. Tinsley v. A.R. Mays Construction, Inc., 195 N.E.3d 891 (Ind. Ct. App. 2022), the Court of Appeals of Indiana affirmed partial summary judgment in favor of A.R. Mays Construction, Inc. (“A.R. Mays”), a general contractor, on the ground that neither it nor any of its subcontractors had contracted with the company…
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Tennessee Court Of Appeals Upholds Judgment Holding That A Contract With A Target Completion Date And Start Immediately Language Contained An Implied Time Is Of The Essence Term

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In Franks v. Bilbrey, the Tennessee Court of Appeals held that a construction contract containing a target construction completion date and the phrase “start immediately” contained an implied “time is of the essence” term, which the contractor breached by delaying completion well beyond the target completion date. No. M2021-00766-COA-R3-CV, 2022 WL 4588871, at *1 (Tenn….
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Florida District Court Of Appeals Reverses Grant Of Summary Judgment To Developer That Challenged Development Density Ordinance Under Statutory Inordinate Burden Standard

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In a ruling on an interlocutory appeal, the Florida District Court of Appeal for the Fifth District recently reversed a summary judgment in favor of Waters Mark Development Enterprises, LC (“WMDE”) against Brevard County (“the County”) because  WMDE had not proven that the County’s residential development density standard constituted an inordinate burden on WMDE’s use…
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Court Of Appeals Of Mississippi Holds That A Party Seeking To Compel Arbitration Has Not Invoked The Litigation Process When It Enters Default And Responds To Dispositive Motions With A Specific Reservation Of Its Right To Arbitration

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The Mississippi Court of Appeals recently held that a general contractor that sought to compel arbitration in a breach of contract dispute between it and another contractor did not waive its right to pursue arbitration by invoking the litigation process, when it entered a notice of default (that it later agreed to withdraw) and defended…
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Supreme Court Of Tennessee Reverses Lower Court’s Limitation Of Attorney’s Fees And Costs Award To A Homeowner

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In Donovan v. Hastings, the Supreme Court of Tennessee analyzed whether the trial and appellate courts properly limited an award of attorney fees and costs under Tennessee Code § 20-12-119(c) to a plaintiff homeowner to those incurred after the date an amended countercomplaint was filed by the defendant contractor. 2022 WL 12301177, at *1 (Tenn….
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Florida Court Of Appeal Clarifies Timing Rule In Constuction Lien Statute

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In A. Alexis Varela, Inc. v. Pagio, No. 5D21-2077, 2022 WL 1592482 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. May 20, 2022), the Florida Fifth District Court of Appeal reversed a trial court’s order dismissing a contractor’s lien foreclosure claim. The Court of Appeal stated that the trial court erred in computing the deadline for the contractor to…
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