In Trustees of Boston University v. Clough Harbour & Associates LLP, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court considered anew whether a construction defect claim tendered under the terms of a bespoke contractual indemnity...more
In Trustees of Boston University v. Clough, Harbour & Associates LLP, 495 Mass. 682, the Supreme Court of Massachusetts held that the tort statute of repose for improvements to real property did not bar a contract claim where...more
In Tri-State Insur. Co. of Minn. a/s/o Campus Chalet, Inc. v. East Tennessee Sprinkler Company, Inc., the Court of Appeals of Tennessee recently addressed whether the state’s four-year statute of repose could shield a...more
Claims against design professionals often pose unique challenges when such claims are dually rooted in both tort and contract theories, and therefore subject to competing time limitations. In order to reconcile these...more
In a decision with significant consequences concerning the amount of time after construction during which design professionals and contractors may be liable for defective services or work, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial...more
Under the Massachusetts statute of repose, tort claims involving improvements to real estate generally must be initiated within six years of the improvement’s opening to use. So, for example, if a worker suffers a jobsite...more
How long are you on the hook for defects in a completed construction project? It’s a question that keeps many contractors and design professionals up at night—and for good reason. No project is flawless, and the duration of...more
On April 16, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC), in Trustees of Boston University vs. Clough, Harbour & Associates LLP, held that contractual indemnification claims, arising from negligence, were not precluded by...more
On April 16, 2025, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (the “SJC”) issued a decision concluding that a claim based on a negotiated contract providing for indemnification of damages caused by an architect’s negligence...more
Even though construction cases often involve colorful facts, legal opinions are often quite boring. When a judge writes a colorful opinion about an otherwise boring case, we tip our hat. This week we tip our hat to Judge...more
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court will decide a pivotal case that could significantly impact the construction industry and the application of the state’s construction Statute of Repose. Aloia v. Diamant raises key questions...more
On April 13, 2023, governor Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill 360 (“SB 360”) into law, which drastically reduces the time limit for property owners to file suit against builders and construction professionals for construction...more
On April 13, 2023, and as part of other recent tort reform measures implemented in Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill 360 into law. This most recent bill makes changes to, among other laws, Florida Statute...more
Last October, Rumberger attorney Jason Bullinger and attorney Dan Webster at Daniel J. Webster, P.A. obtained a win for Florida contractors, engineers, and architects in Florida by persuading a Volusia County Circuit judge...more
In Bridgwood v. A.J. Wood Construction, Inc., 105 N.E.3d 224 (Mass. 2018), the Supreme Court of Massachusetts determined that the statute of repose barred the plaintiff’s consumer protection claims commenced more than six...more
Gindel v. Centex Homes, 2018 Fla. App. LEXIS 13019 (Fla. 4th DCA Sept. 12, 2018) - A group of townhome owners (the “Homeowners”) sued the contractor and a subcontractor (collectively, “Contractor”) who built their...more
Most states have statutes of repose, which define the date certain for parties to assert any and all claims for construction and design related issues, and provide a final cut-off for liability with respect to a project. For...more
On September 12, the Fourth District Court of Appeal ruled that a Chapter 558 notice of defect can be considered the “commencement” of a construction defect action. Robert Grindel, et al. v. Centex Homes, et al., 2018 WL...more
The Florida Legislature has amended the construction statute of limitations and repose a second time in two years. Effective July 1, the amendments include (1) a provision addressing completion of the contract and final...more
Florida’s Gov. Rick Scott signed HB 377 providing for revisions to the Florida statutes of limitation and repose governing construction claims. The new law revises Fla. Stat. Sec. 95.11 (Limitations Other Than for the...more
The Doctrine of Nullum Tempus, and Its Impact on Statutes of Limitation and Statutes of Repose - The common law doctrine of nullum tempus occurrit regi — generally translated to mean “time does not run against the king”...more