On December 9, 2014, the U.S. Civilian Board of Contract Appeals (“CBCA”) decided Kiewit-Turner, a Joint Venture v. Department of Veterans Affairs, in which general contractor Kiewit-Turner (“KT”) scored a major victory against the Department of Veterans Affairs (“VA”). The CBCA ruled that a change order required the VA to…
Recently, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), in a 3-2 decision, in Purple Communications, Inc. and Communications Workers of America, AFL-CIO. Cases 21-CA-095151, 21-RC-091531, and 21-RC-091584, considered the right of employees under Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act (Act) to effectively communicate with one another at work regarding…
New Jersey’s Appellate Division recently reversed a trial court’s dismissal of a general contractor’s claim against a performance bond, holding that the bond must cover the general contractor as the intended obligee, even though the general contractor was not expressly named in the bond. In Allied Building Products Corp. v.…
On August 26, 2014, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals decided the case of Sierra Club, et. al. v. Jewel, a case involving the National Register of Historic Places (Register), which is administered by the Department of the Interior. The Court of Appeals held, over the dissent of Senior Circuit…
Last month, in its decision in Transtar Electric, Inc. v. A.E.M. Electrical Services, Corp., Slip Opinion No. 2014-Ohio-3095, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that the inclusion of term “condition precedent” in a contractual payment provision was an explicit statement of the parties’ intent to transfer the risk of the project…
In an opinion filed July 3, 2014, the California Supreme Court provided some clarification to California law concerning an architect’s liability to foreseeable third-party purchasers of residential units for design errors and omissions. In Beacon Residential Community Association v. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (July 3, 2014) ____Cal.4th ____; 2014…
In late March, a trial court in Bergen County, New Jersey dismissed a condominium association’s construction defect claims against several construction entities for failure to comply with the applicable statute of limitations. This decision’s appellate aftermath will be interesting to follow, because the trial court stripped away some of the…
Protecting communications disclosed to third-parties under the common interest doctrine can be an uphill battle. Was the communication reasonably necessary for the purposes for which the attorney was consulted? Was there a reasonable expectation the communication would remain confidential? Was the content of the communication of the type that should…
One of the first tactical lessons most litigators learn is not to overstate your position. Another lesson is to always remain civil, even in the face of an un-civil opponent. These lessons are sometimes difficult for young lawyers, brimming with aggression, to digest. Most of the time when one of…
UPDATE: The Sacramento Bee, E-cigarettes face restrictions as cities update smoking ordinances (Mar. 10, 2014) Recently, the California Office of the Attorney General (“AG”) issued its Opinion No. 12-901 (Dec. 20, 2013), answering the question: “Under what circumstances does an owner-operated business with no employees nevertheless constitute a ‘place of…