Construction Law › Business Torts

Fenwick Employment Brief - June 2013

In Oxford Health Plans LLC v. Sutter, the United States Supreme Court affirmed an arbitral decision allowing the plaintiff to proceed with classwide arbitration even in the absence of express language to that effect in the...more

Trends In Litigation Management For The Insurance Industry

Collaborative technology, process improvement strategies and predictive analytics are some of the areas seen as offering potential for improving insurance litigation management, according to an article in the Spring 2013...more

How To Hire Outside Counsel For Your Company

Hiring outside legal counsel is an important decision for any company. Outside counsel may be needed to guide the business on an ongoing basis; or the business could be looking for an attorney to handle a single transaction...more

Disclosing Lawsuits To Buyers Of Residential Property

Sellers of existing residential property are required by California law to make various disclosures to a prospective buyer. [See generally Disclosures In Real Property Transactions, published by the California Department of...more

7th Circuit: No Need for Specificity in Contract Dispute Liability Cap

This week we discuss the 7th Circuit decision SAMS Hotel Group, LLC v. Environs, Inc. which found that, at least between two sophisticated parties, a liability cap in a contract dispute is enforceable even without specifying...more

Manage and Control Litigation Costs By Acknowledging Realities

Managing litigation effectively, including controlling legal costs, especially litigation costs, is important for business owners, small and large. A recent article in InsideCounsel suggests that an important part of...more

CEQA Litigation: The Cost Of Doing Business In California

There has been a lot of news lately on the costs of CEQA litigation, as well as the potential for the statute to be used as a tool to stop development, good or bad, or exact concessions or pay-offs. What is CEQA? CEQA, or...more

Can an Intervening Insurance Company Sue for Breach of Contract?

If a party in litigation has a default judgment entered against it, can its insurance company still file a motion to intervene and use the same defenses that would have been available to the insured if not procedurally barred...more

Contribution Between Insurance Carriers And The Duty To Defend

In St. Paul Mercury Insurance v. Mountain West Farm Bureau, 210 Cal. App. 4th 645 (10/25/12), the California Court of Appeal addressed the duty of an insurance carrier to defend a general contractor named as an additional...more

Recent Insurance Coverage Decisions Of Note In California

California Courts handed down some interesting decisions re insurance coverage during the fourth quarter of 2012: St. Paul Mercury Insurance v. Mountain West Farm Bureau (10/25/12) In an equitable contribution action, an...more

Indemnity Prohibition

On January 1, 2013, new rules governing indemnification in construction contracts went into effect under SB 474 in California. The new law impacts commercial real estate, and public and residential projects. The big picture...more

Business Interruption Insurance

Business Interruption Insurance Business Interruption Insurance (“BII”) is a form of commercial insurance coverage that provides limited but useful protection when a business is unable to continue normal operations or occupy...more

California Civil Depositions Limited To Seven Hours Under New Law

Some attorneys are known for being long-winded time wasters who act with little regard for efficiency, especially when billing at an hourly rate. Although we believe the length of a deposition is often dictated by the...more

Trial Tactics for Insurance and Corporate Defense Cases

Insurance companies and corporate defendants often begin a lawsuit at a disadvantage due to the mere fact that they are being sued by a plaintiff who alleges to have been injured and/or damaged. It is therefore crucial to...more

Litigation Management: A Win-Win

Using tools and strategies to effectively and intelligently proceed a case through the litigation process, based on the goals and expectations of a specific client, is an important part of effective legal representation. This...more

Daubert Standard For Expert Testimony Almost Applied In California

The standard for admitting expert scientific testimony in a federal trial under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure was established in the case of Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceutical (US Supreme Court, 6/28/93), then...more

Bad Faith Sentinel - April 2013

In This Issue: - Western District Of Washington: Denial of a Defense Where Additional-Insured Status Was Arguable, and Doing So in Reliance on Extrinsic Evidence, Were Both Acts of Bad Faith - New York Court...more

Insurers: Does Your Policy Contain a Broadly Worded EIFS Exclusion? If You’re in Washington, You Might Be in Luck!

Recently, Washington courts have issued a number of opinions resolving a variety of issues against insurers. For instance, the Washington Supreme Court presumed that there is no attorney-client privilege in a bad-faith suit...more

Indiana Court of Appeals Upholds $14.5 Million Defamation Verdict

This week we discuss the Indiana Court of Appeals decision State Farm Fire & Casualty Co. v. Radcliff that upheld one of the largest verdicts – $14.5 million – ever obtained in a defamation case in United States history....more

The Lesser of Two Evils? Court Holds that Statutory Measure of Recovery Under a Mechanic’s Liens Is the Lesser of Reasonable Value...

In Appel v. Superior Court (No. B244590, 3/11/13), California’s Second District Court of Appeal held that the proper measure of a mechanic’s lien claim is the lesser of the reasonable value of the services and materials...more

A Breach Of A Fiduciary Duty Claim May Be Waived

A dispute arose between Band and Libby regarding the development and construction of a luxury condominium. Band, the managing general partner of the development and an attorney, contacted Libby to invite him to become an...more

Arbitrate, don't surrender!

One-sided arbitration clauses don't survive judicial scrutiny in Maryland's state and federal courts. Maryland contract law will not enforce an arbitration clause lacking mutuality of consideration....more

The Supreme Court Weighs in on the Balance of Private Interests Versus the Public Good in Nuisance

On March 7, 2013, the Supreme Court of Canada released its decision in Antrim Truck Centre Ltd. v. Ontario (Transportation), 2013 SCC 13. In Antrim, the Ontario government built a new highway which effectively put a truck...more

Tiara Condominium Association, Inc. v. Marsh & McLennan Companies

Economic Loss Rule

The Florida Supreme Court held that the Economic Loss Rule is limited to product liability cases. However, as discussed in the concurring opinion, this holding will not open up the flood gates for tort claims. Rather, the...more

Maryland's appellate courts preserve the corporate shield against efforts to pierce the corporate veil

Maryland remains one of the toughest jurisdictions for plaintiffs seeking to pierce the corporate veil and impose personal liability on corporate owners for contract debts. Maryland has long recognized an equitable claim to...more