contractor liability News

Court: State not Liable for Contractor in Indiana Stage Collapse

A court says the state isn’t responsible for work performed by a contractor involved in the 2011 Indiana State Fair stage collapse. The Indiana attorney general’s office said that a Marion County judge denied Mid-America Sound Corporation’s claim that the …

Deconstructing Texas Insurance Law: Ewing Confirms Court’s Shift

On Jan. 17, 2014, the Texas Supreme Court in Ewing Construction Company v. Amerisure Insurance Co. issued another surprising and controversial decision in a construction defect coverage case. For many years the Texas Supreme Courts had largely been a model …

Mississippi Firms Want City, Road Contractor Held Liable for Lost Business

Four businesses on a busy Hattiesburg Street are suing Hattiesburg city government, claiming a street improvement project has cost them customers. The project on Hardy Street began Oct. 30, 2012, according to The Hattiesburg American. The work is nearly complete …

Critics Say It’s Time New York Ends 1885 Scaffold Law

Years before skyscrapers, when New York City’s tallest building was still the 281-foot spire of Wall Street’s historic Trinity Church, state lawmakers passed the Scaffold Law, which made property owners and contractors liable for most “gravity-related” injuries to workers on …

Judge Rules North Carolina Town Can Sue Failed Dam Contractors

A North Carolina judge says the town of Hope Mills can sue companies that built a dam that failed. The Fayetteville Observer reported that Superior Court Judge Erwin Spainhour said that the companies can be sued for breach of contract. …

West Virginia Man Claims Contractor, Construction Dust Caused Mom’s Death

The son of a Tucker County employee who died after inhaling dust from a construction project has filed a wrongful death lawsuit and wants the courthouse closed for a thorough cleanup. The Inter-Mountain of Elkins reported that Paul Wamsley Jr.’s …

Deadly NYC Crane Collapse Insurance Challenged

New York’s top court says misrepresentations on insurance forms by the operator of a crane involved in a deadly collapse four years ago could also limit coverage for the developer and builder.

Lack of Insurance Proof Jeopardizes Mississippi Trash Contract

A lack of proper insurance proof may force Metcalfe, Mississippi to cut ties with its long-time trash collection provider. Griffin Waste Services has serviced the town since 1998, but Mayor Corey Holmes says during that time period, Curtis Griffin Jr. …

Construction Workers Settle in Collapse of Georgia Walkway

An attorney for workers who sued over the collapse of an elevated walkway under construction in the treetops at the Atlanta Botanical Garden said settlements totaling more than $15 million have been reached in the case. A portion of the …

California Homeowners’ Suit Against Builders Revived

A federal appeals court revived a lawsuit by homeowners who accused eight major homebuilders of causing them to overpay for their homes by marketing nearby houses to high-risk borrowers who later went into foreclosure. Against what it called “the backdrop …