Ex-Detroit Demolition Official Sentenced for Taking Bribes
November 24, 2019 —
Jeff Yoders - Engineering News-RecordAradondo Haskins, a former Detroit demolition projects official, has been sentenced to a year in federal prison for accepting $26,500 in bribes from contractors and rigging bids to tear down homes in a federally funded demolition program. U.S. District Judge Victoria Roberts handed down the sentence on Sept. 23 and ordered Haskins to pay a $5,000 fine and forfeit bribes he took while employed by demolition contractor Adamo Group and by the city. The charges against Haskins were unsealed on April 8, shortly before he pled guilty.
Reprinted courtesy of
Jeff Yoders, Engineering News-Record
Mr. Yoders may be contacted at yodersj@enr.com
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Happenings in and around the 2016 West Coast Casualty Seminar
April 20, 2016 —
Beverley BevenFlorez-CDJ STAFFThe West Coast Casualty Construction Defect Seminar returns to the Disneyland Hotel next month (May 12th-13th) and the Construction Defect Journal has compiled a list of concerts, sporting events, and museum exhibitions taking place in and around Anaheim. Whether you like to spend your personal time checking out a new band, or watching your favorite Angel slide into home, or perusing the local art museum, there is something to spark your interest.
CONCERT VENUES
THE HOUSE OF BLUES IN ANAHEIM
Located in Downtown Disney, The House of Blues in Anaheim is a short walk from the convention hall.
Breakthru Entertainment Presents…
Tuesday, May 10th Starting at 630pm
For More Information...
Totally 80’s Live
Friday, May 13th at 7pm
For More Information...
THE GROVE OF ANAHEIM
Near Angel Stadium, the Grove of Anaheim is just a few miles away from the seminar location.
Luca Turilli’s Rhapsody & Primal Fear
Thursday, May 12th Doors Open at 7pm
For More Information and to Purchase Tickets...
SPORTING EVENTS
ANGEL’S STADIUM – BASEBALL
Take care of your popcorn-and-peanuts-and-cracker-jacks fix while cheering for the Angel’s—conveniently just a few miles from the Disneyland Hotel.
Angels v. Cardinals
Tuesday, May 10th at 7:05pm
For More Information and to Purchase Tickets...
Angels v. Cardinals
Wednesday, May 11th at 7:05pm
For More Information and to Purchase Tickets...
FAIRS AND FESTIVALS
Art Crawl Experience
Every quarter, Downtown Anaheim hosts an art walk that includes live entertainment, local artists, as well as food and craft vendors.
Saturday, May 14 from 6pm to 10pm
For More Information...
MUSEUM EXHIBITIONS
MUZEO
This local museum and cultural center is a short drive from the convention hall.
Exhibition: Master Craft: The Art of Woodworking
March 12th, 2016-May 21st, 2016
Museum Days/Hours: Tuesday – Sunday (Closed Mondays) / 10 am to 5 pm
For More Information...
Exhibition: “A Touch of Africa in Anaheim” by Da African Village: the Art of Senegal and neighboring countries
April 30th, 2016 – May 30th, 2016
Museum Days/Hours: Tuesday – Sunday (Closed Mondays) / 10 am to 5 pm
For More Information...
BOWERS MUSEUM (Santa Ana)
Voted “The Best Museum in Orange County” by OC Register Readers for 16 consecutive years, this arts and cultural center is worth the fifteen minute drive.
Exhibition: Once Upon a Time
April 16th, 2016-August 28th, 2016
Museum Days/Hours: Tuesday – Sunday (Closed Mondays) / 10 am to 4 pm
For More Information...
Exhibition: Mummies of the World
March 19th, 2016-September 5th, 2015
Museum Days/Hours: Tuesday – Sunday (Closed Mondays) / 10 am to 4 pm
For More Information...
Exhibition: Mystery from the Tomb: The Face Beneath the Mask
December 8th, 2015-TBD
Museum Days/Hours: Tuesday – Sunday (Closed Mondays) / 10 am to 4 pm
For More Information...
Exhibition: Popul Vuh: Watercolors of Diego Rivera
December 12th, 2015 – May 29th, 2016
Museum Days/Hours: Tuesday – Sunday (Closed Mondays) / 10 am to 4 pm
For More Information...
Lecture: Popul Vuh: Art in Context (6-Part series): The Rise of Modernism in Europe: Realist Shifts in the Nineteenth Century (Part 3)
Wednesday, May 11 at 11am-12pm
For More Information...
Lecture: ARCE Weekend Lecture: Sudanese Antiquity: New Insights from the ‘Bio-archaeology of Nubia Expedition (BONE)’
Saturday, May 14 at 130pm-3pm
For More Information...
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How AI and Machine Learning Are Helping Construction Reduce Risk and Improve Margins
November 28, 2018 —
Manu Venugopal - Construction ExecutiveThe construction industry is often characterized as high risk and low margin. According to a McKinsey report, almost 98 percent of projects incur cost overruns or delays. Meanwhile, the construction productivity curve has remained flat when compared to other industries.
In the last decade, with the advent of cloud and mobile technologies, industry leaders have been focused on digitizing construction workflows. This has resulted in improved efficiencies, but also has created an explosion of new data sources in the construction industry. Project teams are now capturing and documenting data on mobile devices, site progress is documented via drones and sensors are used to create a connected jobsite.
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Manu Venugopal, Construction Executive, a publication of Associated Builders and Contractors. All rights reserved.
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Lessons Learned from Implementing Infrastructure BIM in Helsinki
February 07, 2018 —
Aarni Heiskanen – AEC Business BlogFinland’s capital is currently experiencing a construction boom. Old industrial citadels are turning into residential areas with new commercial centers. Consequently, Helsinki needs to build new infrastructure. To improve the efficiency and quality of infrastructure construction, the city has started using BIM, and is now learning how to get the most value from it.
Ville Alajoki, Team Leader in Helsinki’s Urban Development Division, is a keen proponent of BIM. “Infrastructure construction is still in its early stages when it comes to using BIM. For the most part, BIM implementation has not been systematic in our city yet. We tend to use it in our own structural design and often in building construction. However, in infrastructure project management, its active individuals who have set the pace,” Ville admits. He believes that the city’s strategy for 2017–2021 will spur the use of new technologies, including BIM. “Helsinki aims to be the city in the world that makes the best use of digitalization,” Mayor
Jan Vapaavuori has declared.
A good start, but there’s room for improvement.
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Aarni Heiskanen, AEC Business Blog Mr. Heiskanen may be contacted at
info@aepartners.fi
Supreme Court of Oregon Affirms Decision in Abraham v. T. Henry Construction, et al.
April 20, 2011 —
Beverley BevenFlorez CDJ STAFFAfter reviewing the decision in Abraham v. T. Henry Construction, et al., the Oregon Supreme Court affirmed that a tort claim for property damage arising from construction defects may exist even when the homeowner and the builder are in a contractual relationship.
When the case was initially filed, the plaintiffs alleged breach of contract and negligence. The defendants moved for summary judgment arguing that one, the claim was barred by the six-year statute of limitations and two, no special relationship (such as one between a doctor and patient) existed. The court agreed with the defendants. However, the Court of Appeals while affirming the trial court’s decision on breach of contract reversed the decision on negligence. The Court of Appeals stated that an administrative or statute rule could establish a standard of care independent from the contract.
The Oregon Supreme Court gave an example of cases where a tort claim could exist when a contract is present: “If an individual and a contractor enter into a contract to build a house, which provides that the contractor will install only copper pipe, but the contractor installs PVC pipe instead (assuming both kinds of pipe comply with the building code and the use of either would be consistent with the standard of care expected of contractors), that failure would be a breach of contract only. […] If the failure to install the copper pipe caused a reduction in the value of the house, the plaintiff would be able to recover that amount in an action for breach of contract. […] On the other hand, if the contractor installed the PVC pipe in a defective manner and those pipes therefore leaked, causing property damage to the house, the homeowner would have claims in both contract and tort. […] In those circumstances, the obligation to install copper instead of PVC pipe is purely contractual; the manner of installing the pipe, however, implicates both contract and tort because of the foreseeable risk of property damage that can result from improperly installed pipes.”
Read the court’s decision…
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Classify Workers Properly to Avoid Expensive Penalties
April 25, 2022 —
Martin C. McCarthy - Construction ExecutiveBusiness owners must carefully consider how the people working for them are classified. There is a fine line between being identified as a contractor or employee on the job. Owners must know the difference to avoid being penalized.
Worker classification determines if an employer must withhold income taxes and pay Social Security, Medicare taxes and unemployment tax on wages paid to an employee. Businesses do not have to withhold or pay any taxes on payments to independent contractors. The earnings of a person working as an independent contractor are subject to self-employment tax.
There are federal and state rules for determining if a person is an employee or contractor. Employers must follow both sets of guidelines when classifying workers.
Reprinted courtesy of
Martin C. McCarthy, Construction Executive, a publication of Associated Builders and Contractors. All rights reserved.
Mr. McCarthy may be contacted at marty.mccarthy@mcc-cpas.com
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Contractual Waiver of Consequential Damages
January 21, 2019 —
David Adelstein - Florida Construction Legal UpdatesContractual waivers of consequential damages are important, whether they are mutual or one-sided. I believe in specificity in that the types of consequential damages that are waived should be detailed in the waiver of consequential damages provision. Standard form construction agreements provide a good template of the types of consequential damages that the parties are agreeing to waive.
But, what if there is no specificity in the waiver of consequential damages provision? What if the provision just states that the parties mutually agree to waive consequential damages or that one party waives consequential-type damages against the other party? Let me tell you what would happen. The plaintiff will argue that the damages it seeks are general damages and are NOT waived by the waiver of consequential damages provision. The defendant, on the other hand, will argue that the damages are consequential in nature and, therefore, contractually waived. FOR THIS REASON, PARTIES NEED TO APPRECIATE WHAT DAMAGES ARE BEING WAIVED OR LIMITED, AND POTENTIALLY THOSE DAMAGES NOT BEING WAIVED OR LIMITED, WHEN AGREEING TO A WAIVER OF CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES PROVISION!
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David Adelstein, Kirwin NorrisMr. Adelstein may be contacted at
dma@kirwinnorris.com
The ABCs of PFAS: What You Need to Know About Liabilities for the “Forever Chemical”
February 22, 2021 —
Robert F. Walsh, Gregory S. Capps & R. Victoria Fuller - Complex Insurance Coverage ReporterThis article is based on a presentation the authors made at White and Williams LLP’s Virtual Coverage College® on October 22, 2020. Every year, hundreds of insurance professionals come to Philadelphia—this year via our online platform—to participate in a full day of lectures and interactive presentations by White and Williams lawyers and guest panelists about the latest issues and challenges involved in claim handling and insurance litigation. Visit coveragecollege.com for more information and stay tuned for Coverage College® 2021.
Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly referred to as PFAS or PFOS, have been a key ingredient in numerous industrial and consumer products for decades. These man-made chemicals are prevalent and are also known for their longevity in the environment. More recently, PFAS have been the focus of thousands of lawsuits alleging personal injury and property damage. Some insurers have already questioned whether PFAS could rival asbestos in scope and bottom-line impacts. It is a legacy that confronts manufacturers and other defendants and insurers today.
This article provides a primer on PFAS, including the current regulatory framework and litigation landscape. We also identify some key emerging coverage issues insurers should be aware of when dealing with PFAS claims under liability and first-party property policies.
Reprinted courtesy of
Robert F. Walsh, White and Williams LLP and
Gregory S. Capps, White and Williams LLP
Mr. Walsh may be contacted at walshr@whiteandwilliams.com
Mr. Capps may be contacted at cappsg@whiteandwilliams.com
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