California law has changed. The change now makes it easier for California litigants to sue their opponents for fraudulently breaching a contract. Lawyers who negotiate and draft agreements subject to California law should...more
The Tennessee Supreme Court recently issued an important decision making clear that in a breach of contract dispute, the aggrieved party may recover more in damages than the parties’ contract permits, such as punitive,...more
n Mid-Century Insurance Co., v. HIVE Construction, Inc., a Colorado court of appeals recently reversed the decision of a lower court that had refused to apply the economic loss rule to a negligence claim alleging wanton or...more
In government contracting fraud cases with no actual or intended loss, defense attorneys should be on the lookout for prosecution attempts to invoke the “government benefits rule” to estimate “total gain” as an alternative...more
In New Jersey, the “economic-loss doctrine” bars tort claims when the plaintiff’s only damages are economic in nature because, when parties enter into a contractual relationship, a contractual remedy flows from contract, not...more
The Economic Loss Doctrine and its various analogues (e.g., the Independent Duty Rule and the Gist of the Action Doctrine) vary in form and application, but each is a judge-made rule serving one principle: If a party seeks...more
The Tennessee Court of Appeals recently issued an opinion extending application of the economic loss doctrine to certain construction claims. Among other things, the economic loss doctrine prevents a party from recovering on...more
This article addresses recent developments in North Carolina law regarding the economic loss rule, explores the application of the economic loss rule to commercial construction projects in light of those developments, and...more
Utah courts continue to strengthen both the common law and statutory economic loss rule by limiting what duties are independent of those in a typical buyer/seller contractual relationship and thus limiting the common law...more
A pair of recent rulings involving the economic loss doctrine from North Carolina serve as a timely reminder to carefully consider the extent of contractual remedies in negotiation of construction agreements – lest a later...more
Easement by estoppel- DeepRock Disposal Solutions, LLC v. Forté Prods., LLC, 4th Dist. Washington No. 20CA15, 2021-Ohio-1436- In this appeal, the Fourth Appellate District affirmed as modified the trial court’s...more
Specific Performance Jad Rentals of Youngstown, LLC v. Cox, 7th Dist. Mahoning No. 19 MA 0096, 2021-Ohio-304- In this appeal, the Seventh Appellate District affirmed the trial court’s decision, agreeing that the buyer...more
While one party may owe a fiduciary duty to another outside of their contract, the Business Court will nonetheless examine the damages the plaintiff seeks from each and every claim. Perry v. Frigi-Temp Frigeration, Inc., 2020...more
GEA Sys. N. Am. LLC v. Golden State Foods Corp., C.A. No. N18C-11-242 EMD CCLD (Del. Super. Ct. June 8, 2020) - This case illustrates the extent to which the economic loss doctrine bars tort claims arising out of the same...more
Bass, Berry & Sims attorney Chris Lazarini outlined a case exploring the economic loss rule. The court found that a party suffering only an economic loss from the breach of an express or implied contractual duty may not...more
Sutton v. Vermont Regional Center, 2019 VT 71 (Oct. 14, 2019) - Despite its longstanding reputation as liberal and sympathetic to plaintiffs, the Vermont Supreme Court has for a very long time strictly enforced the...more
Often times, both contract and tort claims co-exist in a subrogation matter and the line between the two can be blurred. This is especially true in the context of damages resulting from new home construction defect claims....more
Precision Hydraulic Cylinders, Inc. v. Manufacturing. Technology, Inc., No. 7:18-CV-203-FL, 2019 BL 344743, 2019 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 156670 (E.D.N.C. Sept. 13, 2019) - Precision Hydraulic Cylinders, Inc. (“Precision”) issued...more
A recent Utah Appellate Court upheld the dismissal of a homeowners' claims against a geotechnical engineer because the homeowners did not have a contract with the geotechnical engineer and therefore their claims were barred...more
The Colorado Supreme Court has issued a number of opinions over the last several years clarifying the scope of the economic loss rule. On May 7, 2019, the court revisited the economic loss rule in Bermel v. BlueRadios, Inc.,...more
In its broadest sense, the "economic loss rule" prohibits recovery in tort for purely economic loss incurred under contract law. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary online defines tort as "a wrongful act other than breach of...more
A recent decision by a federal district court in Maryland further illustrates the elusive nature of early dismissal of claims in far-reaching suits challenging the cost of insurance rate increases – even when some success is...more
In Kmart Corp. v. Herzog Roofing, Inc., 2018 Wisc. App. Lexis 842, the Court of Appeals of Wisconsin considered whether the economic loss doctrine barred the plaintiff’s negligence claims against the defendant roofer for...more
A trade secret misappropriation claim can arise from the same facts as, and be joined with, a claim for breach of contract by the defendant, such as a breach of a covenant not to compete or breach of a non-disclosure...more
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit has found that plaintiffs must show a causal connection between the theft of their personal information and the purported harm that they have suffered in order to survive a...more