Category: Construction Claims

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Construction Project Scheduling & Delay Claims CLE — Seattle

On May 6, 2022, I will be presenting as part of The Seminar Group CLE seminar Construction Project Scheduling & Delay Claims, which you can attend in Seattle or online. Intended for architects, attorneys, contractors, engineers, and municipal and government employees, the seminar will cover critical-path schedule and delay concepts and legal concepts and strategies … Continue Reading

Ideas to Help Contractors Build Better Projects in the Year Ahead

The year 2021 was an interesting and unsettled one in the construction industry — bids and projects grew in numbers in some market sectors and regions yet slowed or halted in others. An aftereffect of this activity was a variety of claims and disputes, which, coupled with the ongoing pandemic and increasing market uncertainty, particularly … Continue Reading

Pandemic Creates Cause to Rethink Overlooked Contract Provisions

The construction industry has proved adaptable over the course of the pandemic — owners and general and trade contractors have worked closely to ensure that work continued, while keeping workers safe and complying with the various government-ordered and -recommended practices intended to slow the spread of COVID-19. By now, most owners and contractors are well … Continue Reading

Why Early Mediations Often Fail, and Possible Remedies

Unlike 20 years ago, when a mediation – a commonly used route for resolving disputes in the construction claims process – was typically held close to the trial date, today the prospect of an early settlement can lead to the parties often seeking multiple mediation sessions over the course of a dispute. Additionally, construction and … Continue Reading

Ensuring Your Construction Project Remains Insured

In too many cases, the developers, builders and designers of a construction project focus on starting work and pay inadequate attention to making sure important details of their insurance coverage are fully in place. Coverage denials can result from deferring to “standard” insurance forms, relying on informal broker assurances and not taking the time to … Continue Reading

Differing Site Conditions An Issue in the Seattle SR 99 Tunnel Litigation

In late 2019, the Washington State Department of Transportation and Seattle Tunnel Partners (STP) engaged in a nine-week trial of claims arising from construction of the new State Route 99 tunnel under downtown Seattle. One major issue for the jury was whether STP had encountered “differing site conditions” – unknown underground conditions that differ materially … Continue Reading

Stoel Rives Helps WSDOT Defeat a $640 Million Claim

The biggest construction project in Seattle in recent years has been the replacement of a seismically compromised waterfront viaduct with a tunnel carrying State Route 99 under downtown. The project was delayed for about two years while the contractor repaired damage to its tunnel boring machine. The contractor claimed that the damage was caused by … Continue Reading

Certifying Subcontractor Claims Under the Contract Disputes Act

When a dispute arises over payment between a contractor and the agency overseeing a Federal government project, the contractor typically submits a request for a reasonable adjustment to the contract price. If the agency disagrees with the adjustment, the contractor may file a formal claim under the Contract Disputes Act (“CDA”), which requires the contractor … Continue Reading

I’m a Developer and My Contractor Refuses to Perform Work Without a Change Order. What Are My Options?

Over the duration of a construction project, changes to its scope are inevitable, and the easiest way to address such changes, and their potential impacts on scheduling and contract price, is for the project owner and the contractor to mutually execute a change order prior to implementing a change. However, for a variety of reasons, … Continue Reading

Recent Washington Court Decision Examines Whether Lien Claim on Condominium Unit Was Frivolous (Subject to Release) or Excessive (Subject to Reduction)

On February 11, 2019, Division One of the Washington Court of Appeals issued an opinion in the case of Woodley v. Style Corp. d/b/a Servpro of Shoreline/Woodinville, No. 77352-6-I (Wash. Ct. App. Feb. 11, 2019).  The case highlights the care that should be exercised in filing a lien claim for services furnished to improve a … Continue Reading

Dispute Resolution for Developers

The nearly 60 cranes towering over Seattle’s skyline may be a sign of the building boom in the city, but they also could portend a flood of construction claims arising from the projects they help build. Despite the frequency of construction claims, many developers are not familiar with the dispute resolution methods available to them … Continue Reading

“Is Mike M. Johnson Here to Stay?”—Recent Washington Supreme Court Case Upholds Contractual Waiver of Claims Provision

In Nova Contracting, Inc. v. City of Olympia, No. 94711-2 (Wash. Sept. 29, 2018), the Washington Supreme Court, sitting en banc, ruled in favor of a municipality on the issue of whether the general contractor complied with a contract’s notice of claim provision.  Relying on Mike M. Johnson, Inc. v. Spokane County, 150 Wn.2d 375, … Continue Reading

Oregon Court of Appeals Broadens “Four Corners” Rule in Construction Defect Insurance Coverage Cases

In a recent Oregon Court of Appeals decision, the court likely eased the burden for contractors seeking a defense under insurance policies in which they have been named as an additional insured. In my latest article for the Daily Journal of Commerce, I examine the decision, which expands upon a 2016 Oregon Supreme Court ruling … Continue Reading

Remember the Statute of Limitations

Contract claims and negligence claims are subject to different statutes of limitations, and if you are a participant in a construction project and believe you have been injured by another, it is important to understand what claims you may have, what statute of limitations applies to those claims, and when the limitations period may run … Continue Reading

Contracts Are King, But Don’t Forget Tort Law

The construction industry is driven by its memorialization of business terms and legal obligations in written contracts.  However, “tort” law also imposes many implied rights and obligations independent of what parties may have formally agreed to, the foremost of which is to use reasonable care so as to avoid damage to others. In my recent Daily … Continue Reading

Washington Supreme Court Affirms Brightwater Decision Regarding Application of Olympic Steamship to Sureties

On July 6, 2017, the Washington Supreme Court confirmed that the equitable rule announced in Olympic Steamship—providing for attorney fees where the insurer compels the insured to take legal action—applies to performance bond sureties on public projects.[1]  In King County v. Vinci Construction Grands Projects/Parsons RCI/Frontier-Kemper, the Court affirmed the trial court’s award of over … Continue Reading

Think the ADA preempts contractual risk shifting? Not so fast, says the Ninth Circuit.

Rejecting an argument that the ADA preempts all contractual claims for indemnity and contribution, the Ninth Circuit recently upheld a public owner’s right to seek contribution for damages arising out of ADA violations caused by the designer and contractor of a transportation facility. See City of Los Angeles v. AECOM Services, Inc. (here). This decision … Continue Reading

When “Non-Binding” LOIs Become Binding

A letter of intent (“LOI”) is often the first document in a proposed deal – a summary of a range of key terms or concepts for negotiation toward entering into a final, formal agreement. But what seems like a simple document can be much more than a mere list of possible terms to be discussed … Continue Reading

Joint Washington/Oregon Construction Law Seminar – November 4, 2016

On November 4, 2016, my colleague, Andrew Gibson (from the Portland office of Stoel Rives), and I will co-chair a joint OSBA/WSBA construction law CLE, entitled Two States of Construction Law: Working in Both Washington and Oregon, located at the Heathman Lodge in Vancouver, Washington. This seminar will include a panel of knowledgeable lawyers with … Continue Reading

Concerns over California’s Increased Earthquakes? Landlords and Developers Should Manage Their Risks Now

During the last month or two there has been a rise of news reports regarding potential earthquakes in California at a greater magnitude than in recent history:  see here and here.  These risks have even been reported recently in a London newspaper.  While the unusual Southern California “big one” warning is now past, the risk has … Continue Reading
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