Guest Editor: Jeremy Freedman
September 3, 2019 10:00am
In the recent case entitled Du-All Safety, LLC v. Superior Court of Alameda County, (2019) 34 Cal.App.5th 485, the Second District Court of Appeal addressed under what circumstances a party may “supplement” its experts by identifying additional experts to testify on subject matters in which the party had not previously designated an expert.
Guest Editor: Alla Policastro
August 12, 2019 10:00am
Recently, in the case of Western Heritage Ins. Co. v. Frances Todd, Inc. (2019) Cal. App.5th 976, the Court of Appeals of California, First Appellate District, addressed whether a commercial condominium association’s insurance carrier could subrogate against the tenants (aka lessees) of one of its member unit owners.
Guest Editor: Alla Policastro
August 12, 2019 10:00am
In the recent decision in McMillin Homes Construction v. National Fire & Marine Ins. Co. (2019 WL 2366468) the Fourth District Court of Appeal continued a recent trend of finding coverage for additional insureds in construction related cases.
Guest Editor: Alla Policastro
August 12, 2019 10:00am
Recently, the California Fourth District Court of Appeal held that homeowners suing their real estate broker for negligence did not need an expert witness to establish the elements of their causes of action. (Ryan v. Real Estate of the Pacific, Inc. (2019) 32 Cal. App. 5th 637). Generally, expert witnesses are required to establish the standard of care in professional negligence cases.
Guest Editor: Jillian Stanley
August 12, 2019 10:00am
One of the first tasks a homeowner’s or association’s attorney does when they receive a new construction defect case is to immediately obtain records relating to the completion date of the property at issue to make certain the 10-year statute of repose has not yet run. Similarly, of course, one of the first steps defense attorneys need to take when their builder client is faced with a construction defect claim is to immediately ascertain whether they can…
May 13, 2019 3:00pm
Most California construction contractors know that they must be licensed in order to do business in the state. This requirement is contained in a provisions of the California Business & Professions Code. California Business & Professions Code, Section 7031 provides, in part…
May 13, 2019 3:00pm
Beginning July 1, 2019, California residential rental properties will be subject to Proposition 65 Warning requirements. The warning requirements will be incorporated into lease agreements, letters, and e-mails, thereby replacing the warning signs plastered across the state. Pursuant to the new California law, landlords and building owners will be required to warn tenants and all known adult occupants of chemicals detected at the premises…
May 13, 2019 3:00pm
The Privette-Toland doctrine was created from a series of California Supreme Court cases protecting landowners and other hirers of independent contractors from lawsuits by employees of the independent contractor who sustain on the job injuries. The Privette-Toland doctrine is an important defense in premises liability/construction cases because, under the right circumstances, the doctrine may provide grounds…
Guest Editor: Catie R. Johnson
February 11, 2019 4:00pm
The Privette Doctrine arises from a 1993 California Supreme Court case entitled Privette v. Superior Court (1993)5 Cal.4th 689, which provides that a higher-tiered party such as an owner or general contractor is not liable for injuries sustained by employees of a lower-tiered party such as a subcontractor on a construction project. There are, however, a number of exceptions to the Privette Doctrine. One of these exceptions is known as the “retained…
Guest Editor: Catie R. Johnson
February 11, 2019 4:00pm
In the recent case of Travelers Property Casualty Co. v. Engel Insulation Inc. (2018 WL 6259032; November 30, 2018), The Third District Court of Appeal ruled a Complainant in Intervention could not maintain an affirmative action against subcontractors to recover attorneys’ fees and costs incurred in defending its suspended insured in an underlying action.
Guest Editor: Catie R. Johnson
February 11, 2019 4:00pm
Contractors and material suppliers are entitled to foreclose on a mechanic’s lien if they comply with the preliminary notice (“prelien”) requirements. California Civil Code sections 8200 and 8204 require notice to the owner, direct contractor and construction lender, if any, not later than 20 days after the contractor or material supplier has first furnished work on the work of improvement. If the contractor or material supplier fails to do this, they…
Guest Editor: Catie R. Johnson
February 11, 2019 4:00pm
As part of the long-term response to the June 2015 collapse of an apartment building balcony in Berkeley, California which killed six young people, California Governor Jerry Brown signed into a law Senate Bill 1465, which requires contractors, subcontractors and insurers to report most settlements reached in construction defect cases. This new law took effect on January 1, 2019 and should be on the radar of California general…
Guest Editor: Catie R. Johnson
February 11, 2019 4:00pm
In October 2018, the Court of Appeals for the Fourth District of California Court unanimously held the “loss of use” of tangible property need not be a loss of all possible uses of the property to constitute property damage; loss of a particular use can be sufficient to trigger coverage. Further, the court held the use of economic loss calculations as an appropriate measure of property damage. Thee…
Guest Editor: Catie R. Johnson
February 11, 2019 4:00pm
How often during construction defect litigation does it appear the contractor is certain they did the work in a workmanlike manner? How often do we hear from the contractor or subcontractor there is no way they caused the defect to arise? Recently, a building envelope professional was adamant his envelope design was so redundant, there is no way the envelope would allow water to intrude into the building. After multiple…
November 13, 2018 9:00am
When considering hiring a public, or independent, adjuster for work in Washington, the claims person must begin the process of vetting possible candidates and documenting their reason behind their choice. Based on two recent Washington court rulings, one state court case and one federal district court case, the actions of the public adjuster may be imputed to the claims person under certain circumstances. The number of proponents…
November 13, 2018 9:00am
Often times, after a settlement in a construction defect litigation or case involving real property, such as a fall at a public park, defendants would run out to get their good faith settlement (“GFS”) determination as a matter of course. While a GFS determination protects a litigant from equitable comparative contribution, or partial or comparative indemnity, based on comparative negligence or comparative fault, it has no impact on…
November 13, 2018 9:00am
On May 5, 2014, George Sutherland sustained injuries when, while working as a crane operator, his crane became unstable and fell over. Sutherland brought an action almost exactly two years later, on May 3, 2016. His complaint alleged a cause of action for negligence against defendant Curtis Engineering Corporation. Curtis Engineering Co. provided engineering services to Sutherland’s project and at the worksite where Sutherland’s…
November 13, 2018 9:00am
In the recent case of William Jae Kim, et al. v. Toyota Motor Corporation, et al. (2018 WL 4057248), the California Supreme Court affirmed the Second Appellate District Court of Appeal decision which previously affirmed the trial court judgment after a jury found for defendant in a product liability case. Plaintiffs claimed the pickup truck was defective because its standard configuration did not…
November 13, 2018 9:00am
California Business & Professions Code (“B&P) Section 7159 provides contract and disclosure requirements for contractors who perform residential home improvement projects. Section 7159 was last amended by the California Legislature in 2010 and became effective on January 1, 2011.
August 13, 2018 9:00am
In March, 2018, the California Court of Appeal decided an interesting issue with regarding defective designs on public property in Rodriguez v. Department of Transportation, Case No. F074027 (March 27, 2018). The Court had to decide whether a public entity could avoid liability through the affirmative defense of design immunity. In a nutshell, the Court rejected plaintiff’s assertion that a public official’s approval of a design does…
August 13, 2018 9:00am
Can an owner lose their home simply because they do not pay their homeowner’s association (“HOA”) dues? The answer is: yes. It is only fair, after all. However, it is not as simple as it sounds. There are legal and technical hoops in place, and HOAs are mandated to comply with these hoops or be subject to attorney-driven lawsuits where attorneys’ fees can exceed the cost of the technical violation(s).
August 13, 2018 9:00am
When a general contractor subcontracts work in California, it is standard practice that payment is made by the general contractor to the subcontractor on a monthly basis. The contractor is allowed to withhold a certain amount of the payment due as a retention in order to ensure that the subcontractor continues to uphold their end of the bargain at the expected level of quality. The payment of these retention funds is dictated by Civil Code…
August 13, 2018 9:00am
Given the lack of affordable housing, especially in major cities like San Francisco, landlords should not be surprised to find changes in occupancy in their rental units without their consent. Landlords might inadvertently change the status of those occupants to “tenants” and unwittingly confer tenant rights on those occupants.
August 13, 2018 9:00am
A June 6, 2018 California Appeals Court decision in Von Becelaere Ventures, LLC v. James Zenovic (24 Cal.App.5th 243) held a contractor waives the right to arbitrate a “construction dispute under the terms of the contract by failing to request a stay of a mechanic’s lien pending the outcome of arbitration.” In that case, Von Beccelaere Ventures, LLC (“VBV”) entered into a contract with James Zenovic Construction…
August 13, 2018 9:00am
In a recent decision entitled MP Nexlevel of California, Inc. v. CVIN LLC (2018 WL 3358395), the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals took a pro-contractor stance on the issue of the scope of contractor licensing. The matter arose from a dispute over the scope of a California specialty contractor’s license. The issue was whether the subcontractor’s performance of certain work was outside the scope of its license constituting a breach…