The Federal government issued an advisory list of essential critical workers, including workers doing certain types of construction, but deferred to states and local governments to implement any orders. In “Construction During COVID-19: Is It Essential?,” colleagues Laura Bourgeois LoBue, Matthew D. Stockwell, and Elizabeth J. Dye address that there is…
Articles Posted in Construction Generally
So the Government Shut Down Your Construction Project—What Next?
The impact of COVID-19 on construction projects continues to evolve as an increasing number of are issuing orders suspending construction. While complying with obligations in the face of a project being shut down, parties should not lose sight of actions that will best position them when construction resumes. In “So the…
Force Majeure, Construction Delays, Labor Shortages and COVID-19
The global effect of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is still unknown, and the progress of many large-scale construction projects has been affected by “Shelter in Place” orders, although some states and localities have classified construction projects as “essential.” Just last Friday, New York shut down all construction, with few exceptions.…
New York Shuts Down Majority of Construction
Due to pressure from construction workers, officials, and some construction workers having tested positive for COVID-19, the Empire State Development Corp. (acting on behalf of Governor Cuomo) has frozen all construction in New York today, with the exception of work on hospitals and health care facilities, transit facilities, roads and…
No Sales or Use Tax Due on Materials and Equipment Used to Construct and Install Steam Facility at Tennessee Manufacturing Plant
In a letter ruling published March 16, 2020, the Tennessee Department of Revenue concluded that a contractor’s purchase of materials and equipment for use in the construction and installation of a new steam production facility at a federally owned manufacturing plant was exempt from Tennessee sales and use tax. Tenn.…
How to Build a Coronavirus Hospital in Ten Days
If the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread in the United States as it has in other countries, drastic expansions of hospital and quarantine facility capacity are likely to be necessary. In the hard-hit Seattle area, several temporary facilities are already under construction, including a 200-bed temporary quarantine and isolation center…
Triple Points to the English Court of Appeal for Clarifying the Law on LDs
Can an employer recover liquidated damages (LDs) from a contractor if the contract terminates before the contractor completes the work? Surprisingly, heretofore, English law provided no clear answer to this seemingly straightforward question, and inconsistent case law over the past century has left a trail of confusion. Given the widespread…
Benefit from Risk Management Tools Available Under the Safety Act
LODGING Magazine recently published an article by Pillsbury attorney Brian Finch titled Modernizing Hotel Security Protocols To Protect Against 21st Century Threats. The article discusses the recent bombings and shootings at high-profile hotels in the U.S. and abroad, and how the hospitality industry can benefit from risk management tools available under the Support…
SCOTUS Limits “Bare Metal Defense”
On March 19, the U.S. Supreme Court decided the case of Air & Liquid Systems Corp. v. Devries, affirming the ruling of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in this maritime tort case involving the availability of the “bare-metal defense.” The bare-metal defense’s basic idea is that a manufacturer who…
Trump Administration’s Proposed Overtime Rule Would Reclassify a Significant Number of Exempt Employees
Today, Pillsbury attorneys Julia Judish and Rebecca Carr Rizzo published their Client Alert titled How Employers Should Respond to the Trump Administration’s Proposed Overtime Rule. The Alert discusses the Trump Administration’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for amending the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) so-called “white collar” exemptions. The new…