Cambridge Massachusetts Building Expert Directory

San Francisco Half-Built Apartment Complex Destroyed by Fire

March 12, 2014 — Beverley BevenFlorez-CDJ STAFF
According to San Jose Mercury News, a 250 million dollar apartment complex being built in San Francisco, California received “catastrophic damage” from a fire on March 11th. The complex was being developed by BRE Properties, Inc., and “was slated to open sometime later this year.” Initial reports blamed high winds for the start of the blaze, however, San Jose Mercury news reported that “downtown San Francisco experienced wind speeds of no more than 10 mph Tuesday, and that heavy winds were not expected Tuesday night” according to the National Weather Service. “Representatives for [BRE Properties, Inc.] were not available for comment,” as reported by San Jose Mercury News. Read the court decision
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Century Communities Acquires Dunhill Homes Las Vegas Operations

April 08, 2014 — Beverley BevenFlorez-CDJ STAFF
According to Big Builder, “Colorado-based Century Communities” has acquired “the Las Vegas operations team and 1,849 lots of Dunhill Homes.” This brings Century’s “total land position of owned and controlled lots to 10,095, an increase of 21% since the end of 2013.” “More than the homes and land inventory, this acquisition allows us to add an experienced operations team, with a reputation of delivering quality homes in well-located communities,” stated Robert Francescon and Dale Francescon, Co-Chief Executive Officers of Century Communities, in a statement as quoted by Big Builder. “Additionally, Las Vegas remains a land constrained market, and we are now uniquely positioned within communities that would be very difficult to replicate today, with land inventory to drive future growth.” Read the court decision
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Untangling Unique Legal Issues in Modern Modular Construction

September 09, 2024 — Chad Theriot & Brad Sands - Construction Executive
Modular construction has grown significantly over the last few years and shows no signs of slowing down. This construction method is a departure from traditional approaches where all construction activity occurs onsite. Modular construction involves building standardized project components—usually in an offsite, controlled environment—which are then transported and assembled at the project site. Offsite construction generally allows for better quality control and economic efficiency, as it can utilize an assembly-line process. Modular fabrication can also centralize skilled labor in regions with lower labor costs. Establishing each party's expectations upfront is always important, but even more so in modular construction since much of the construction activity is performed away from the ultimate project site. This requires extensive coordination among designers, fabricators, installers and owners to ensure construction, testing and quality progresses accordingly. Every field change and design clash could have an exponential impact on the modular fabrication efficiencies given the assembly-line approach and remote nature of modular work. Reprinted courtesy of Chad Theriot & Brad Sands, Construction Executive, a publication of Associated Builders and Contractors. All rights reserved. Read the court decision
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Patrick Haggerty Promoted to Counsel

May 24, 2021 — Patrick Haggerty - White and Williams LLP
White and Williams is pleased to announce the promotion of Patrick Haggerty to the position of Counsel. Pat is a member of the Real Estate and Finance groups and practices in the Philadelphia office. Pat focuses his practice on a wide range of commercial real estate transactions and financings. He represents real estate developers, owners, and investors, international and domestic banks, private equity firms, hedge funds, and insurance companies in the financing, acquisition, development, repositioning and disposition of commercial real estate assets. “Pat’s unique skillset and impressive experience enhances the services which we can provide to our real estate and finance clients. We are proud to promote such a talented lawyer,” said Tim Davis, Chair of the Business Department. “We look forward to his continued success.” Read the court decision
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Reprinted courtesy of Patrick Haggerty, White and Williams LLP
Mr. Haggerty may be contacted at haggertyp@whiteandwilliams.com

Construction Defects Are Occurrences, Says South Carolina High Court

December 20, 2012 — CDJ STAFF
The South Carolina Supreme Court has left the legislature’s new, expanded definition of “occurrence” in place, declining to declare it unconstitutional. South Carolina included faulty workmanship as an occurrence in response to a Supreme Court decision, which the court later reversed. One of the parties in that earlier decision, Harleysville Insurance, challenged the new law, claiming that the legislature didn’t have the power to pass a law to overturn a court ruling. The court did not concur. However, the court did determine that the law was not retroactive and covered only claims filed after the law became effective in May 2011. The Chief Justice of South Carolina noted that “insurance coverage for construction liability lacks clarity, particularly with respect to whether construction defects constitute ‘occurrences’ under construction general insurance policies.” Read the court decision
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TV Kitchen Remodelers Sued for Shoddy Work

December 04, 2013 — CDJ STAFF
Their remodels may dazzle on television, but someone who hired Bunelleschi Construction, the company owned by “Kitchen Cousins” stars John Colaneri and Anthony Carrino, wasn’t quite so dazzled. And now Robert and Peng Avery are suing the two men and their company for a kitchen remodel gone awry. They claim that the company left their Tenafly, New Jersey home uninhabitable. According to the couple, the Brunelleschi’s work included “numerous gaps in sheetrock” and improper installation of ductwork, plumbing, and doors. They also claim that Brunelleschi Construction falsely claimed the work had passed final building and electrical inspections. When the company stopped work, the couple was unable to obtain a certificate of occupancy. Read the court decision
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Los Angeles Delays ‘Mansion Tax’ Spending Amid Legal Fight

April 25, 2023 — Laura Curtis - Bloomberg
Los Angeles plans to hold off spending most of the money collected from a voter-approved “mansion tax” until legal challenges against the initiative are resolved. Mayor Karen Bass revealed in her 2023-24 budget plans that the city intends to allocate just $150 million of the funds raised by Proposition ULA, a ballot initiative that took effect this month to fund the construction of more affordable housing. The decision will prevent the city from taking a loss if a lawsuit succeeds in reversing the tax, according to budget documents released this week. The city anticipates it would qualify for $150 million in federal reimbursements to make up the amount. Read the court decision
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Reprinted courtesy of Laura Curtis, Bloomberg

The Moving Finish Line: Statutes of Limitation and Repose Are Not Always What They Seem

June 01, 2020 — Kenneth E. Rubinstein & Nathan Fennessy - Construction Executive
Having an end date for risk is important to construction professionals who need to know when they can close their books and destroy files relating to old projects. While professionals typically look to the statute of limitations and repose, these deadlines can sometimes be harder to determine than one might think. State Laws Prohibiting Alteration of Statutes of Limitation Many contractors seek to control the extent of their risk by negotiating the length of their liability period. In some instances, contractors may seek to shorten the statute of limitations to protect against stale claims. While in other instances, owners periodically negotiate for longer periods to ensure that they will not be time barred from pursuing valid claims. While the majority of states enforce such contractual provision, a number of states hold such clauses unenforceable. In these instances, the state’s original statute of limitations will apply regardless of what the contract says. Reprinted courtesy of Kenneth E. Rubinstein & Nathan Fennessy, Construction Executive, a publication of Associated Builders and Contractors. All rights reserved. Mr. Rubenstein may be contacted at krubinstein@preti.com Mr. Fennessy may be contacted at nfennessy@Preti.com Read the court decision
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CAMBRIDGE MASSACHUSETTS BUILDING EXPERT DIRECTORY AND CAPABILITIES