Construction

  • December 13, 2024

    Retirees Say Lumber Co.'s $1.5B Pension Transfer Upped Risk

    A wood product manufacturer violated federal benefits law when it transferred $1.5 billion of pension obligations to a private equity-backed insurance company, substantially increasing the risk that retirees will see their benefits slashed, according to a proposed class action filed in federal court.

  • December 13, 2024

    Balance Of Equities Favors Tribal Emergency Shelter, Court Told

    A Washington tribe says it's likely to prevail in a challenge that looks to block the city of Toppenish from enforcing an ordinance on a 24-hour emergency cold weather shelter, arguing that the municipality concedes that the unhoused are likely to face serious injury or death absent court intervention.

  • December 13, 2024

    Conn. Stadium Bidder Can't Pursue 'Sham' Process Claims

    An unsuccessful bidder for the redevelopment of Trinity Health Stadium in Hartford, Connecticut, lacks standing to carry on a 56-count lawsuit against 19 defendants that it accused of executing a "sham" process, a state appeals court ruled Friday.

  • December 13, 2024

    Construction Co. Fights Stay In Small Biz Qui Tam Suit

    The owners of a construction firm accused in a whistleblower suit of defrauding a program for disadvantaged small businesses objected to a request to delay the suit while the Eleventh Circuit considers the appeal of another suit that resulted in a controversial decision deeming the whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act unconstitutional.

  • December 13, 2024

    Fight Over $40M Discount For Boston Casino Headed To Trial

    A Massachusetts judge declined to toss allegations that Wynn Resorts lied to a landowner to secure a $40 million discount on real estate where the company built the Encore Boston Harbor casino, teeing up a bench trial in the case.

  • December 12, 2024

    Carlisle Cleared In Patent Trial Over Spray Guns

    Jurors cleared Carlisle's construction materials company on Thursday from allegations in Delaware federal court that the Pennsylvania company was infringing a single claim in a rival's patent that covered a spray gun marketed to construction workers.

  • December 12, 2024

    Mich. Judge Hesitant To Rule On $217M Dam Repair Tax

    A Michigan federal judge sounded reluctant Thursday to make a decision about whether a $217 million dam repair tax assessment violated homeowners' constitutional rights before a state appellate panel rules on the homeowners' challenge to the assessment in a parallel case over properties affected by flooding from the 2020 Edenville Dam collapse.

  • December 12, 2024

    11th Circ. Won't Rehear Guatemala Power Plant Fight

    The Eleventh Circuit will not reconsider its decision refusing to vacate an arbitral award issued following an ill-fated Guatemalan power plant construction project, rejecting arguments that the tribunal improperly turned a blind eye to alleged corruption underlying the project.

  • December 12, 2024

    Wash. Judge Weighs Stay Of Gas Reg Suit Amid New Cases

    A Seattle federal judge hinted on Thursday she might pause a building industry coalition's lawsuit challenging Washington regulations discouraging the use of natural gas appliances in new construction, pointing to fresh litigation in state court that could force regulators to revise the rules in the wake of an initiative voters passed in November.

  • December 12, 2024

    Chemical Co. Cuts $300K Deal To End Unpaid Wage Suit

    A Pennsylvania chemical company and a former worker who accused it of violating state and federal wage laws by requiring uncompensated preshift work of its employees came together and asked a Keystone State judge to approve a $300,000 settlement for the proposed class action.

  • December 12, 2024

    Hartford Needn't Defend Contractor In Workplace Injury Suit

    A Hartford unit has no duty to defend an electrical contractor against an employee's workplace injury suit, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled Thursday, saying the underlying negligence- and intent-based claims don't fall within the scope of a workers' compensation and employers' liability policy.

  • December 11, 2024

    Texas Sues 3M And DuPont Over Forever Chemicals

    Texas launched a suit against 3M and DuPont for "misrepresentations and key omissions" the companies made about so-called forever chemicals, telling a state court on Wednesday that the companies lied to the public about the harmful chemicals for over 50 years.

  • December 11, 2024

    Ex-Rep. TJ Cox Reaches Plea Deal On Fraud Charges

    Former U.S. Rep. T.J. Cox reached a deal with California federal prosecutors and agreed to plead guilty to two charges and pay up to a $3.5 million fine over allegations he stole from his companies and took illegal campaign contributions, according to a plea agreement filed Wednesday. 

  • December 11, 2024

    Metals Co. Gets $1.1M Verdict In Fireproofing IP, Transfer Feud

    A Washington federal jury has awarded a company with nearly $786,000 in damages after finding that an ex-employee and another business willfully induced customers to infringe its patents for fire-resistant construction assembly products, plus another $300,000 for a fraudulent transfer of assets.

  • December 11, 2024

    Suit Says Plastic Bag Maker Owes $3M For Property Damage

    An Illinois property owner said Bio Star Films, a maker of plastic shopping bags, must pay over $3 million for repairs to five industrial buildings it leased in Chicago for recycling and plastic manufacturing, according to a lawsuit filed in state court.

  • December 11, 2024

    Metal Recycler Accused Of Polluting Connecticut Streams

    Global industrial recycling firm Sims Metal was hit with a Clean Water Act lawsuit by an environmental watchdog group claiming the company lets stormwater and snow runoff drag metal particles and other pollutants into streams that enter Long Island Sound in greater New Haven, Connecticut.

  • December 10, 2024

    GAO Backs Army's Rejection Of Iraqi Contractor's Proposals

    The U.S. Government Accountability Office backed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' rejection of an Iraqi construction contractor's proposals for a design-build contract, saying the Corps reasonably deemed the contractor "non-responsible" for being ineligible to access an Air Force base.

  • December 10, 2024

    Ohio Justices Undo Paint-Maker's Lead Paint Coverage Win

    Insurers for Sherwin-Williams Co. don't have to cover the paint-maker's portion of a $305 million settlement to abate lead paint in California homes, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled Tuesday, finding the payment does not qualify as damages under its commercial general liability policies.

  • December 10, 2024

    Wash. HOA Can't Get Early Win Bid In Water Damage Row

    A homeowners association for a Seattle-area condominium complex can't yet prevail on its bad faith claims against its insurer over coverage for extensive water damage, a Washington federal court ruled, finding a material factual dispute over whether the association filed its coverage action within its policy's two-year suit-filing deadline.

  • December 10, 2024

    Biz Owner In $2.8M Worker Tax Scheme Gets 18 Months

    A construction company owner who failed to pay $2.8 million in employment taxes by falsely claiming his workers were subcontractors was sentenced to 18 months in prison Tuesday and ordered to pay full restitution, according to Massachusetts federal court documents.

  • December 10, 2024

    Staffing Co., EEOC Ink $300K Deal In Hiring Bias Suit

    A construction staffing company in Minnesota will pay $300,000 to end a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit alleging it wouldn't find work for women, Black people or older people and prompted a worker who complained about it to resign, according to a federal court filing Tuesday. 

  • December 09, 2024

    High Court Again Weighs Reach Of Federal Fraud Statutes

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday grappled with the question of whether using deceptive means to induce a business transaction with no contemplation of causing economic loss constitutes mail or wire fraud, the latest challenge in a line of cases that seeks to narrow the reach of federal fraud statutes.

  • December 09, 2024

    Insurer Asks 7th Circ. To Review Faulty Work Coverage Ruling

    An insurer urged the Seventh Circuit on Monday to review a ruling requiring it to defend an architectural design firm and its owner against faulty work claims seeking more than $3.4 million in damages, saying the ruling is contrary to an Illinois Supreme Court decision involving the same issues.

  • December 09, 2024

    NJ Says Sherwin-Williams' Bid To Stay Pollution Suit Too Late

    New Jersey has pushed back against a bid from Sherwin-Williams to pause a suit from Garden State regulators over the contamination at one of its former plants, arguing that the stay request should have been filed months ago.

  • December 09, 2024

    Judge Axes $33M Suit Challenging Feds' Wildfire Response

    An Oregon federal judge has dismissed a suit by two lumber companies claiming that the U.S. Forest Service failed to properly fight a wildfire in the Willamette National Forest, holding that the agency's decisions are shielded under the Federal Tort Claims Act.

Expert Analysis

  • Use The Right Kind Of Feedback To Help Gen Z Attorneys

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    Generation Z associates bring unique perspectives and expectations to the workplace, so it’s imperative that supervising attorneys adapt their feedback approach in order to help young lawyers learn and grow — which is good for law firms, too, says Rachael Bosch at Fringe Professional Development.

  • Opinion

    Congress Can And Must Enact A Supreme Court Ethics Code

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    As public confidence in the U.S. Supreme Court dips to historic lows following reports raising conflict of interest concerns, Congress must exercise its constitutional power to enact a mandatory and enforceable code of ethics for the high court, says Muhammad Faridi, president of the New York City Bar Association.

  • Series

    The Pop Culture Docket: Justice Lebovits On Gilbert And Sullivan

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    Characters in the 19th century comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan break the rules of good lawyering by shamelessly throwing responsible critical thought to the wind, providing hilarious lessons for lawyers and judges on how to avoid a surfeit of traps and tribulations, say acting New York Supreme Court Justice Gerald Lebovits and law student Tara Scown.

  • Mitigating Construction Employers' Risks Of Discrimination

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    Recent heightened government scrutiny of construction industry employment practices illustrates the need for nondiscriminatory recruitment and proactive assessment of workforces and worksites, including auditing for demographic disparities and taking documented steps to address such issues, say attorneys at Seyfarth.

  • Decoding Arbitral Disputes: Spain Faces Award Enforcement

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    Spain's loss in its Australian court case against Infrastructure Services Luxembourg underlines the resilience of international arbitration enforcement mechanisms, with implications extending far beyond this case, says Josep Galvez at 4-5 Gray's Inn.

  • State Of The States' AI Legal Ethics Landscape

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    Over the past year, several state bar associations, as well as the American Bar Association, have released guidance on the ethical use of artificial intelligence in legal practice, all of which share overarching themes and some nuanced differences, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Law Group.

  • Cos. Face Increasing Risk From Environmental Citizen Suits

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    Environmental citizen suits stepping in to fill the regulatory vacuum concerning consumer goods waste may soon become more common, and the evolving procedural landscape and changes to environmental law may contribute to companies' increased exposure, say J. Michael Showalter and Bradley Rochlen at ArentFox Schiff.

  • Defining All-Risk: Despite $30M Loss, Loose Bolt Not 'Damage'

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    A Massachusetts federal court’s recent ruling in AMAG Pharmaceuticals v. American Guarantee and Liability Insurance Co., denying coverage for $30 million in damages claimed when a loose bolt caused an air leak, highlights an ongoing debate over the definition of “direct physical loss or damage,” say Josh Tumen and Paul Ferland at Cozen O'Connor.

  • 8 Childhood Lessons That Can Help You Be A Better Attorney

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    A new school year is underway, marking a fitting time for attorneys to reflect on some fundamental life lessons from early childhood that offer a framework for problems that no legal textbook can solve, say Chris Gismondi and Chris Campbell at DLA Piper.

  • How The 2025 Tax Policy Debate Will Affect The Energy Sector

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    Regardless of the outcome of the upcoming U.S. election, 2025 will bring a major tax policy debate that could affect the energy sector more than any other part of the economy — so stakeholders who could be affected should be engaging now to make sure they understand the stakes, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.

  • Sublimit And Policy Interpretation Lessons From Amtrak Case

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    The recently settled dispute between Amtrak and its insurers over sublimit coverage illustrates that parties with unclear manuscript policies may wish to avoid litigation in favor of settlement — as the New York federal court declined to decide the case by applying prior term interpretations, says Laura Maletta at Chartwell Law.

  • Opinion

    This Election, We Need To Talk About Court Process

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    In recent decades, the U.S. Supreme Court has markedly transformed judicial processes — from summary judgment standards to notice pleadings — which has, in turn, affected individuals’ substantive rights, and we need to consider how the upcoming presidential election may continue this pattern, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • Consider Best Legal Practices For Commissioning Public Art

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    Commissioning public art for real estate projects can provide many benefits to real estate developers and the public, but it's important to understand the unique legal and contracting aspects of the process to ensure that projects are completed on time and on budget, says Sarah Conley Odenkirk at ArtConverge.

  • Series

    Playing Diplomacy Makes Us Better Lawyers

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    Similar to the practice of law, the rules of Diplomacy — a strategic board game set in pre-World War I Europe — are neither concise nor without ambiguity, and weekly gameplay with our colleagues has revealed the game's practical applications to our work as attorneys, say Jason Osborn and Ben Bevilacqua at Winston & Strawn.

  • Applying High Court's Domestic Corruption Rulings To FCPA

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    After the U.S. Supreme Court narrowed the domestic corruption statutes in three decisions over the past year and a half, it’s worth evaluating whether these rulings may have an impact on Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement, and if attorneys can use the court’s reasoning in international bribery cases, says James Koukios at MoFo.

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