On October 13, 2004, California Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. appointed Susan Granzella of Sacramento as a new (public) member of the California Contractors State License Board. Prior to the appointment, according to the Governor, Granzella “held several positions at Visa Inc. from 1996 to 2014, including senior director and…
On October 20, 2014, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit unanimously affirmed the lower court’s ruling that the commercial liability insurance policies purchased by Headwaters Resources, Inc. contained unambiguous “pollution exclusion” provisions which excluded Headwaters’ demand that its insurers reimburse its litigation defense costs. The case is…
The Texas Supreme Court confirmed that it will decide an issue of Texas law that was certified to the Court by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. The case is McGinnes Industrial Maintenance Corporation v. The Phoenix Insurance Company; The Travelers Indemnity Company. The issue is whether…
The New Hampshire Electrician’s Board has confirmed that the 2014 National Electrical Code (NEC) will become effective January 1, 2015 and, moreover, that all exams will be on the 2014 NEC starting on October 1, 2014. All New Hampshire licensed master and journeyman electricians will also be required to complete…
The Nevada State Contractors Board, at its meeting scheduled for October 23, 2014, at 8:45 a.m. by video conference at two of the Board’s offices, is expected to discuss, in its Executive Session, proposed amendments to Nevada Administrative Code § 624.170 concerning remodel of high rise buildings for possible action.…
A few months ago, the U.S. Supreme Court decided the case of CTS Corp. v. Waldburger, 134 S. Ct. 2175 (2014), and held that the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, 94 Stat. 2767, as amended, 42 U.S.C. §§ 9601 et seq. (CERCLA), the federal Superfund statute,…
Effective January 1, 2015, Senate Bill 193, signed into law on July 11, 2014 by Alaska Governor Sean Parnell, increases the required construction contractor bonding amounts as follows: “…(1) general contractor shall be $25,000; (2) general contractor with a residential contractor endorsement under AS 08.18.025 who performs exclusively residential work…
Today, Pillsbury attorneys Matthew Burke and Craig Becker published their client advisory titled Court of Appeal Holds Transfer Tax Applies to Legal Entity Changes in Ownership. The Advisory discusses the 2nd District Court of Appeal decision in 926 North Ardmore Avenue, LLC v. County of Los Angeles. The Court of…
Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. declared the drought in California a state of emergency on January 1, 2014 and directed state officials to take all necessary actions to prepare for these drought conditions. In response, the California Contractors State License Board (CSLB), is doing its part, began expediting applications for…
Recently, a California federal district court, in Taylor v. Shippers Transport Express, Inc., found that a class of current and former truck drivers had been misclassified as independent contractors and not employees by Shippers Transport Express, Inc. (STE). In granting the drivers’ motion for partial summary judgment, the court found…