Here’s what building owners need to know following last year’s wildfires, earthquakes

Loni HintonBy Loni Hinton on Posted in Acts of God, Insurance, Risk Management

California’s 2018 wildfire season — the most damaging and deadly on record — and a pair of earthquakes in Alaska can serve as case studies for Northwest property owners as to steps they can take to mitigate their risks in the event such disasters strike closer to home. In my latest article for the Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce, I provide examples of the most common types of damages incurred by property owners and types of insurance that are available to cover those damages, and look at other tools owners should consider implementing, including emergency response and business continuity plans. Read the full article here.

Originally published on January 31, 2019, by the Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce.

California Employers: Ignore Piece-Rate Compensation Rules at Your Peril

Vida ThomasBy Vida Thomas on Posted in California, Labor and Employment Issues

A recent California Court of Appeal decision upheld the state’s complex rules for compensating piece-rate employees.  In Nisei Farmers League v. California Labor & Workforce Dev. Agency, 2019 Cal.App. LEXIS 10 (Cal.Ct.App. Jan. 4, 2019), the Court held that the Labor Code’s requirement that piece-rate employees be separately compensated for “nonproductive time” was not unconstitutionally vague.  With California’s “productive vs. non-productive time” rubric firmly in place, employers must take great care to track and compensate piece-rate employees’ time, or face stiff penalties.

What Does “Piece-Rate” Mean, And Why Might An Employer Chose It?

Piece-rate compensation plans are very popular in some industries.  They can incentivize employee productivity, while giving an employer greater control over labor costs. Under a piece-rate compensation system, the worker is paid a fixed amount of money for each unit produced or action performed, regardless of the number of hours worked. Industries that pay employees on a piece-rate basis include: Continue Reading

Update on Alaska Way Viaduct Replacement

Karl OlesBy Karl Oles on Posted in Construction Industry, Design Build Agreements, Infrastructure, Public Construction Contracting, Uncategorized

Occasional visitors to Seattle may be surprised to discover that their favorite route from the airport to downtown has changed. State Highway 99 no longer links to the Alaskan Way Viaduct into downtown Seattle.  The waterfront viaduct has been closed and demolition has begun.  The Battery Street tunnel that connected viaduct traffic to Aurora Avenue North will also be demolished.

Closure of the viaduct is the culmination of planning that began when the viaduct was damaged by an earthquake in 2001. After considering many engineering and financial studies, the Washington State Department of Transportation decided to replace the viaduct with a highway tunnel.  WSDOT signed a design-build contract in 2011 and tunnel mining began in July 2013. Unfortunately, the tunnel boring machine stopped advancing in December 2013.  After dramatic efforts that included building a shaft 120 feet deep and lifting huge pieces of the TBM to the surface for inspection and repairs, the contractor resumed mining in January 2016.  The tunnel is now completed.  There will be a grand opening ceremony on February 2 and 3, 2019.  The tunnel will open to traffic shortly after that.  It will be free at first, with tolls phasing in later this year.

Once the viaduct is gone, the City of Seattle has big plans for expanding the Alaskan Way surface street and revitalizing the near-waterfront area.

Further information about this mega project can be found by googling any of the following:

Alaskan Way Viaduct – Tracking Progress
99Tunnel.com
Seattle Waterfront Project

Three “Basic Best Practices” New Year Resolution Tips for Construction Projects

Tamara BoeckBy Tamara Boeck on Posted in General, Insurance, Legislation

Ultimately, improving our companies, like improving ourselves, is up to us and our own diligence and persistence in identifying and implementing improvements on an ongoing basis. A strong market as we start 2019 means a great opportunity to review for and ensure solid implementation of legal compliance and financial goals for your construction projects – before the next down cycle hits our industry. In my latest article for the Daily Journal of Commerce, I identify three prime areas to review as you start the new year. Read the full article here.

Originally published as “Three basic best practices for construction companies” on January 17, 2019, by the Daily Journal of Commerce.

Practical Law and Stoel Rives LLP Publish New Lien Law Resources for Washington

Bart ReedBy Bart Reed on Posted in Construction Liens, Liens, Mechanic's Liens and Stop Notices

Practical Law, a Thomson Reuters company and division of West Publishing Corporation that produces online legal resources for attorneys, is pleased to partner with Stoel Rives LLP to present its Washington Construction Lien Practice Note and Workflow Checklist.

The resources, now published and available through Practical Law’s online services, afford access to valuable content about construction liens in Washington for attorneys practicing nationally and globally in law firms and corporate legal departments.  Practical Law employs unique formats to present the material in an easily readable manner and to aid attorneys’ access to critical information about construction lien claims (e.g., required notices, deadlines, procedures, and notable cases).

Practical Law recognized and invited members of the Construction & Design Group of Stoel Rives’ Seattle office to provide construction lien resources for Washington.  According to Kate Kruk, Practical Law’s Content Acquisition Editor, “[s]erving as a Practical Law contributor showcases [Stoel Rives’] expertise and drives home [its] position as a legal thought-leader in the northwest.”

The contributing authors for the Practical Law resources on construction lien claims in Washington are three construction lawyers from Stoel Rives’ Seattle office: Karl Oles, Bart Reed, and Loni Hinton.  They value the opportunity to present a unique set of reference materials that highlight their group’s experience and expertise in this area.

PDF copies of the Practice Note and the Workflow Checklist for construction lien claims in Washington can be found here:  Practice Note Workflow Checklist

Reimagining the Dispute Resolution Provision in Construction and Design Contracts

Zachary DavisBy Zachary Davis on Posted in Construction Contracts

In construction projects, experienced owners, contractors, or designers know that disputes will almost invariably arise — even when the parties have the best of intentions. And they understand that detailed contract provisions to resolve those disputes can have major benefits if they are properly drafted to suit the project, parties, and types of dispute most likely to occur. In my latest article for the Daily Journal of Commerce, I look at how concepts like mediation, arbitration, and attorney fee shifting — firmly established in the world of construction and design contracting and contained in almost every form contract — can be reimagined in small ways for use in those documents to save the parties time and resources during the course of the project. Read the full article here.

Originally published as “Reimagining the dispute resolution provision in contracts” on December 19, 2018, by the Daily Journal of Commerce.

When “Art” Strikes Development

Andrew GibsonBy Andrew Gibson on Posted in Commercial Real Estate, Condominiums, Litigation

A 2018 legal case in New York arose over the disposition of a collection of run-down warehouses in Long Island City, Queens, New York, which graffiti artists began to use as a canvas for their work after the buildings went undeveloped by the owner for many years. When the owner announced that he would demolish the buildings to make way for luxury condominiums, 21 of the graffitists sued for an injunction to prevent the destruction of the buildings and their artwork. The owner whitewashed the walls, destroying most of the graffiti, and after a trial, the Court found the owner liable of violating the Visual Artists Rights Act of 1990 in obliterating the graffiti and awarded the maximum statutory damages, $150,000 per work, for a total of $6.75MM. In my latest article for the Daily Journal of Commerce, co-authored with Stoel Rives law clerk Antonia Krizanec, I discuss a few steps an owner-developer might take in the face of a similar situation. Read the full article here.

Originally published as “A case of New York City graffiti becoming art” on November 16, 2018, by the Daily Journal of Commerce.

Reminder of January 1, 2019 Mandatory New Notice Requirement by CA Residential Solar Contractors

Tamara BoeckBy Tamara Boeck on Posted in Construction Contracts, Residential Building Regulations, Uncategorized

In 2017, the California Legislature passed a bill that resulted in Business and Professions Code (BPC) section 7169, which ultimately would require Home Improvement Contractors, which include contractors that install solar systems on residences, to issue specific disclosures to any residential consumers who may want to purchase, finance or lease, and install a solar system on their property. Recently in August, the California Public Utilities Commission “endorse[d] the solar energy systems disclosure document as being compliant with [BPC section 7169]….” The Disclosure terms include:

  • The total cost for the solar system, including financing and energy/power costs (if applicable);
  • The statutory License Board Disclosure statement for contractors and / or the home improvement salesperson who sold the system information regarding with whom to file if there are complaints; and
  • The statutory Three-Day Right to Cancel Disclosure if the contract is not negotiated at the contractor’s place of business.

Continue Reading

New Fall Protection Regulations Being Studied

Karl OlesBy Karl Oles on Posted in Construction Industry, Labor and Employment Issues, OSHA, Risk Management, Safety/Personal Injury

The Washington Department of Labor & Industries, Division of Occupational Safety and Health, is considering changes to Washington’s fall protection regulations. These are rules intended to protect construction workers from injury caused by falls on a jobsite.  The Division has been interested in this topic since 2013, when the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration expressed concerns about our state regulations, particularly as they apply to residential construction.  The Division has held meetings around the state and has found widespread support for a uniform set of regulations that would apply throughout the state.  It also learned that some industry participants were not aware of the current regulations.

Further meetings have been scheduled (December 11 in Spokane and December 18 in Tukwila) at which attendees can learn more about the current regulations. For more information about these meetings or the regulatory process leading towards amendment of the regulations, consult this state website.

Injuries from falls can be very serious and many can be prevented. The Division’s website is a good source of information about construction injury risks and prevention strategies.  Keeping up to date on these and other safety rules is not only important for success in the construction business, it’s the law.

Condemnation Awards on Leasehold Interests

Melanie ClarkBy Melanie Clark on Posted in Condemnation

A recent Utah case, adopting a “termination clause rule,” may have tenants in Utah reconsidering condemnation provisions in leases. In UDOT v. Kmart, 2018 UT 54, the Utah Supreme Court denied a condemnation award to a tenant because the lease automatically terminated upon condemnation.  The Court found the tenant had no interest for which it should be compensated based on a terminated lease.  Accordingly, a lease provision ensuring that a tenant is not liable under a lease following condemnation also has the negative effect of foreclosing any award a tenant may be entitled to for the value of its leasehold interest.

In the Kmart case, while the Court acknowledged the general rule that a tenant is entitled to a condemnation award if the value of the leasehold interest is diminished or terminated by “a governmental exercise of the eminent domain power,” it held such right could be “altered, waived, or terminated” by the lease.  Specifically, the Court adopted a “termination clause rule” whereby a tenant is not entitled to a condemnation award when the lease terminates on its own provisions because “any continuing interest in the leased property . . . has been extinguished under the lease agreement’s terms.”

The Court acknowledged that a tenant has a protectable property interest in a lease, so, for example, if a lease has five remaining years on the term when the leased property is condemned, the condemning authority must compensate the tenant for the value of those five years. However, where a lease contains a clause terminating the lease upon condemnation, the tenant’s rights are for the stated “lease term or until the property is condemned.”  The tenant therefore has no protectable (and compensable) property interest after condemnation.

However, the Court included one caveat to the termination clause rule, stating that if a lease has a termination clause, the tenant’s right to compensation in a condemnation award is extinguished “unless otherwise reserved by contract.” In support of this caveat the Court cited Metropolitan Airports Commission v. Noble, 763 N.W.2d 639 (Minn. 2009), which allowed the parties to the lease to allocate the award, even where the lease (and therefore the tenant’s interest) was automatically terminated.

Based on Utah’s adoption of the termination clause rule, but with the implication that it will honor allocation clauses, tenants will need to carefully evaluate lease provisions providing for automatic termination on condemnation. Tenants may want to limit the termination only to certain obligations and not to the lease as a whole, or focus on an affirmative allocation of the award to the tenant based on what would have been the remaining lease term but for the condemnation.

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