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Construction Defects Appeals

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

West Virginia Supreme Court Offers Guidance on Contractual and Implied Indemnity Claims

The West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals recently reversed, in part, and affirmed, in part, a lower court decision regarding dismissal of contractual indemnity and implied indemnity claims. WW Consultants was the design...more

Davis Wright Tremaine LLP

Oregon Court of Appeals Addresses an Insurer's Duty to Defend and Affirms "Complete Defense" Rule

On September 13, 2023, the Oregon Court of Appeals ("Court") addressed several arguments made by an insurer, Arrowood Indemnity Company ("Arrowood"), as to why it did not have a duty to defend, or why it should only defend...more

Rosenberg Martin Greenberg LLP

Kiviti v. Bhatt: Fourth Circuit Brain Twister

The scope of Bankruptcy Court jurisdiction has been the subject of numerous decisions, including multiple decisions by the United States Supreme Court since Bankruptcy Courts were created by the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1978....more

Carlton Fields

Alabama Federal Court Finds No Duty to Defend Lawsuit Alleging Concealment of Defects in Sale of Home

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In Nationwide Mutual Fire Insurance Co. v. Carmichael, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, applying Alabama law, entered summary judgment ruling that Nationwide Fire Insurance Co. had no duty to...more

Davis Wright Tremaine LLP

Oregon Court of Appeals Analyzes Insurance Coverage Issues in Construction Dispute

In Twigg v. Admiral Insurance Co.,[1] the Oregon Court of Appeals recently resolved an insurance coverage dispute arising out of a construction project. Two homeowners hired a contractor to build a new home. The homeowners...more

Snell & Wilmer

A Recent Oregon Court of Appeals Decision Bears on Insurance Coverage for Repair of Construction Defects

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In a February 15, 2023 decision in Twigg v. Admiral Insurance Company, the Oregon Court of Appeals held that an insurance company was not required to indemnify its insured based on a claim for breach of a repair agreement...more

Davis Wright Tremaine LLP

Liability in Washington: Who Pays for Construction Defects that Pose Safety Risks?

The rule of thumb in Washington state has been that contractors and developers cannot be held liable in negligence for construction defects.However, an unpublished decision filed December 12, 2022, by the Washington Court of...more

Patton Sullivan Brodehl LLP

Sometimes, an HOA Can Sue on Behalf of its Members

“Standing” is the legal term used to describe the requirement that a lawsuit be brought by the person(s) or entity(ies) having a right to bring the claim, generally referred to as the “real party in interest.” Lawsuits fail,...more

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

How Final Is a Final Award? Turns Out, It Is Difficult to “Escapes!” a Final Arbitration Award in a Construction Conflict

How final is a final arbitration award? In Escapes! To the Shores Condominium Association, Inc., et al. v. Hoar Construction, LLC, and Architectural Surfaces, Inc., the plaintiff condo association argued that an arbitration...more

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

California Appeals Court Says No Duty to Defend Where Policy Exclusion Applies

In Ali Heidari v. Golden Bear Insurance, a California appeals court recently affirmed a lower court’s decision to deny relief under a CGL policy, where the policy excluded from coverage work performed by subcontractors under...more

White and Williams LLP

A Tort, By Any Other Name, is Just a Tort: Massachusetts Court Bars Contract Claims That Sound in Negligence

In University of Massachusetts Building Authority v. Adams Plumbing & Heating, Inc., 2023 Mass. App. Unpub. LEXIS 28, 102 Mass. App. Ct. 1107, the Appeals Court of Massachusetts (Appeals Court) considered whether the lower...more

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

It’s a Family Affair: SCOTX Compels Non-Signatory Minor Children to Arbitrate Their Construction Defect Claims with Signatory...

A novel question arose over the past few years in residential construction law as to whether minors were subject to the contractual provisions in their parents’ purchase or construction contract. The contract typically has a...more

White and Williams LLP

Too Costly to Be Fair: Texas Appellate Court Finds the Arbitration Clause in a Residential Construction Contract Unenforceable

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In Cont’l Homes of Tex., L.P. v. Perez, No. 04-21-00396-CV, 2022 Tex. App. LEXIS 7691, the Court of Appeals of Texas (Appellate Court) considered whether the lower court erred in refusing to enforce an arbitration clause in a...more

White and Williams LLP

Hurricane Ian: Discussing Wind-Water Disputes

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Most of the Florida homes in the path of Hurricane Ian lack flood insurance, posing a major challenge to rebuilding efforts, new data show. In the counties whose residents were told to evacuate, just 18.5 percent of homes...more

Cranfill Sumner LLP

Fourth Circuit Holds Insurer’s Violation of North Carolina Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act Warranted Trebling of...

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On April 18, 2022, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals reviewed an insured’s claim against its own property insurer for violation of the North Carolina’s Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act (“UDTPA”) in a rare published...more

Gray Reed

Well Operator Escapes Liability After Disposing of its Working Interest

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Does a former working-interest owner of a well bear continuing responsibility for a defective gas line despite having conveyed its ownership interest? The line was constructed by the former owner as operator of record, and it...more

Shutts & Bowen LLP

You Can’t Run From That Arbitration Covenant Running With The Land

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In a recent case, the Florida Supreme Court held that an arbitration covenant contained in a developer’s original deed also bound the second owner. The case serves as a good reminder that, although a subsequent owner of...more

Smith Debnam Narron Drake Saintsing & Myers,...

Court Of Appeals Clarifies That Expert Testimony Required in Nearly All Faulty Construction Cases

In a recent decision touching on many interesting issues, North Carolina’s Court of Appeals effectively determined that, in all but the most obvious cases, expert testimony is required to establish a failure to perform...more

Snell & Wilmer

The Washington Supreme Court Renders a Significant Decision on Application of the Spearin Doctrine for Washington Projects

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In September 2021, the Washington Supreme Court issued its decision in Lake Hills Investments, LLC v. Rushforth Construction Co., Inc., 198 Wash.2d 209 (2021). This case is significant because it establishes a comparative...more

Snell & Wilmer

Arizona Homebuilders Cannot Disclaim Implied Warranties

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In late July 2021, Arizona’s Court of Appeals explained that homebuilders cannot disclaim the implied warranty of workmanship and habitability. Its opinion in Zambrano v. M & RC II, LLC certainly affects homebuilders, and may...more

White and Williams LLP

Nevada’s Common Law Meaning of the Term “Substantial Completion” in the Statute of Repose

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Statutes of repose establish a legislature’s determination of when defendants should be free from liability. As set forth in Nevada Revised Statute (NRS) 11.202, the statute of repose for construction improvements in Nevada...more

White and Williams LLP

Eleventh Circuit Finds No “Property Damage” Where Defective Component Failed to Cause Damage to Other Non-Defective Components

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In Florida, damage caused by faulty workmanship constitutes “property damage;” however, the cost of repairing or removing defective work does not. Amerisure Mutual Insurance Company v. Auchter Company, 673 F.3d 1294 (11th...more

Snell & Wilmer

Can a Home Builder Disclaim Implied Warranties of Workmanship and Habitability?

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In a recent Arizona Court of Appeals case, Zambrano v. M & RC II LLC, 2021 WL 3204491 (7/29/2021), the Court of Appeals addressed the question whether a home builder’s attempt to disclaim implied warranties of workmanship and...more

Rivkin Radler LLP

Insurance Update - May 2021

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We bring you our May Insurance Update. In this month’s update: •The Minnesota Supreme Court considers an issue of first impression over the reasonableness of settlement agreements that fail to allocate between covered and...more

White and Williams LLP

Saved By The Statute: The Economic Loss Doctrine Does Not Bar Claims Under Pennsylvania’s Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer...

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In Earl v. NVR, Inc., No. 20-2109, 2021 U.S. App. LEXIS 6451, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (Third Circuit) considered whether, under Pennsylvania law, the plaintiff’s Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer...more

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