A New Jersey appellate court, analyzing the claim of an injured sub employee against the general contractor, notes that the pertinent factor is “foreseeability of the risk of injury, both its nature and severity.” In that instance, the court foun…
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From the Massachusetts Appeals Court comes a reminder that a contract scope of services may serve to control or limit the scope of tort liability.
New homeowners sued the contractor and designer, hired by the former homeowner for a replacement septic…
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From the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeal comes a reminder that undertaking defense of a claim without any reservation of rights can bar an insurer from disclaiming coverage nine months later – even if the claim was not within the policy language from t…
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Yes. The Massachusetts high court, with an opportunity to address construction contract performance standards, has held that the contractor must provide “complete and strict performance” with respect to design and construction matters, but that…
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A sharply divided Supreme Judicial Court has held that claims by a homeowner against a contractor, under the state home improvement contractor law, are subject to the statute of repose. Thus, when improper work done in 2001 was not discovered until…
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A developer sought to recover $749,000 in fees it claimed should not have been charged by a town. The fees were paid on October 18, 2013, and the developer filed suit to recover the fees on October 17, 2016. The statute of limitations for the develop…
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A seemingly minor ambiguity in contract terms, probably unnoticed at the time, has affected the timeliness of a claim for construction defects.
The contract was signed in 2008, after the 2007 updates to the AIA contract forms had been published. The…
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Readers of this blog know that the terms and conditions in equipment rental agreements favor the rental company. Those agreements typically have one-sided indemnity clauses, on the basis that the rental company expects the renting contractor to ca…
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We can all agree that workers should be paid their wages. And the rank and file worker should not suffer if her employer goes under. But when a company fails, should there be any “usual suspects” to make amends to unpaid workers? And how wide a n…
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The New York Court of Appeals, in a split decision, has focused on one word in deciding that a owner’s construction manager was not entitled to additional insured status on the general contractor’s policy.
The contract required the GC to inclu…
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Stan Martin holds a law degree and an undergraduate degree in architecture. He has been involved with the construction industry for more than 45 years, working in construction prior to law school and beginning his construction law practice. Over the course of his career, he has served on boards and committees for organizations including the Associated General Contractors of Massachusetts, the Boston Society of Architects, and the Massachusetts Building Congress.
