News & Insights

Practice Area: Construction

Tennessee Appellate Court Reverses Trial Court’s Denial Of Attorney’s Fees For Plaintiff Based On Provision Of Construction Contract

In Jones v. Reda Homebuilders, Inc., the Court of Appeals of Tennessee, at Nashville, analyzed whether the trial court properly denied Plaintiffs’ Motion for Attorney’s Fees based on the language of the construction contract. 2021 WL 2375883, at *1 (Tenn. Ct. App. June 10, 2021). The appellate court additionally analyzed whether the trial court’s award…
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Tennessee Appellate Court Affirms Trial Court’s Holding That Owner Of Corporation Engaged As Contractor On Construction Project Could Not Be Held Personally Liable For Corporation’s Alleged Statutory Violations

In Clarksville Towers, LLC v. Straussberger, the Court of Appeals of Tennessee analyzed whether the trial court properly granted summary judgment for the owner of a corporation which was engaged as the contractor in a multi-million-dollar construction project. 2021 WL 1884636, at *1 (Tenn. Ct. App. May 11, 2021). The plaintiff, Clarksville Towers, LLC (“Clarksville Towers”), sought to hold…
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Supreme Court Of Texas Holds That Appellate Court Erred In Reversing Grant Of Summary Judgment For General Contractor On Negligence Claim Brought By Employee Of Its Independent Contractor

In JLB Builders, L.L.C. v. Hernandez, the Supreme Court of Texas analyzed whether the Texas Court of Appeals erred in finding a fact issue existed as to whether a general contractor on a construction project owed a duty of care to a concrete subcontractor’s employee who was injured on the job. 2021 WL 1822947, at *1 (Tex….
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Southern District Of Florida Holds That Pedestrian Bridge Consultant Is Not Subject To Professional Negligence Statute Of Limitations Due To Lack Of Contractual Privity With Bridge Owner

In March 2018, a pedestrian bridge collapsed at Florida International University (“FIU”) in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Magnum Construction Management, LLC v. WSP USA Solutions, Inc., 2021 WL 799448 (S.D. Fla. 2021). FIU had retained Plaintiff Magnum Construction Management, LLC (“Magnum”) to design and construct an elevated pedestrian bridge. Magnum contracted with FIGG Bridge Engineers, Inc….
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Mississippi Appellate Court Holds Defective Work Performed By Subcontractor Constituted Material Breach Preventing It From Recovering Alleged Acceleration Damages

In Kanza Constr., Inc. v. Kansas City S. Railways Co., the Mississippi Court of Appeals analyzed whether the circuit court properly granted partial summary judgment when it found, as a matter of law, that a construction company was not entitled to acceleration damages on the contract it breached. 2021 WL 670993 (Miss. Ct. App. Feb….
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Florida Court Rules That General Contractor Failed To Adequately Specify The Scope Of Its Subcontract Resulting In Unexpected Payout To Subcontractor

In Paschen v. B&B Site Development, Inc., the parties to a subcontract disagreed over the scope of work required for the project. 2021 WL 359487 (Fla. App. Ct. 2021). Plaintiff F.H. Paschen, S.N. Nielson & Associates (“Paschen”) worked as the general contractor for the United States Postal Service to perform construction work at a post…
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Florida Appellate Court Finds Setoff Award Was Relevant Consideration For Determining Prevailing Party Under Lien Enforcement Statute

In Hayward Baker, Inc. v. Westfield Ins. Co., the Florida District Court of Appeal, Second District, reversed a lower court’s order denying a subcontractor’s motion for attorneys’ fees under Florida Statutes, Section 713.29.  2020 WL 7767859, at *1 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. Dec. 30, 2020). The underlying case stemmed from construction of an addition to…
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United States District Court Denies General Contractor’s Summary Judgment Motion Based On Statute Of Repose Issues Due To Contractor’s Actual Knowledge Of Construction Defects And Misrepresentations Of That Knowledge

In Bristol Southside Association, Inc. v. Meridian Construction & Development, LLC, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama denied the Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment, which it supported by arguing the Plaintiff’s claims were barred under Alabama’s statute of repose. 2020 WL 6712270. Plaintiff Bristol Southside Association, Inc. (“Bristol”) asserted several…
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Tennessee Appellate Court Sets Low Threshold For Satisfying Notice And Opportunity To Cure Requirements For Alleged Construction Defects

In Liberty Constr. Co., LLC v. Curry, the Tennessee Court of Appeals, Nashville Division, reversed a lower court’s holding that the owners of a commercial building failed to provide a construction company with notice and a reasonable opportunity to cure a defect it allegedly caused. 2020 WL 6158461, at *1 (Tenn. Ct. App. Oct. 21,…
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Georgia Appellate Court Finds Question Of Material Fact Regarding Whether A Materialmen’s Lien Attaches Based Upon Entity Name In Subcontract

In Optum Construction Group, LLC et al. v. City Electric Supply Company, 2020 WL 5792581 (Ga. App. 2020), appellee City Electric Supply Company (“City Electric”) furnished materials to Palmetto Power Services, LLC (“Palmetto Services”), an entity that represented itself as a subcontractor for a hotel construction project on which appellant Optum Construction Group, LLC (“Optum”)…
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