Anaheim California Expert Witness Engineer Directory

Reckless Disregard is. . . Well. . .Reckless

December 30, 2025 — Christopher G. Hill - Construction Law Musings
Punitive damages are hard to come by in construction law cases. This is because almost all construction contract cases are exactly that: contract cases. Between the economic loss rule and the Virginia Courts’ almost (though not completely) impregnable wall between tort and contract, punitive damages may seem completely out of the picture. Depending on your perspective and position on the construction project food chain, this fact can be either frustrating or comforting. However, like all seemingly immutable laws, this one has an exception according to the Chesapeake County, Virginia Circuit Court. In Sawyer v. C.L. Pincus Jr. & Co. et. al. this Virginia court was faced with the following scenario. The defendants, a church and its contractor, were sued by Sawyer over a construction swale that was built partly on Sawyer’s property. According to the plaintiff, the only permission they gave to their neighbors at the church was to allow the church to build a drainage berm that did not encroach on their property. As stated above, the church and its contractor built a swale that encroached on the Sawyers’ property. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of The Law Office of Christopher G. Hill
Mr. Hill may be contacted at chrisghill@constructionlawva.com

From Ashes to Action: LA Fire Recovery Enters New Phase

August 06, 2025 — Scott Blair & L. L. Poirier - Engineering News-Record
Six months after several devastating wildfires swept through Los Angeles County, debris removal has entered the home-stretch, while businesses, utilities and homeowners take the first steps toward rebuilding. Reprinted courtesy of Scott Blair, Engineering News-Record and L. L. Poirier, Engineering News-Record Mr. Blair may be contacted at blairs@enr.com Read the full story...

New California Law Mandates Prompt Resolution of Change Order Payment Disputes on Private Works of Improvement

January 05, 2026 — Samuel Bucher, Marc Coats & William S. Hale, P.E. - Gravel2Gavel Construction & Real Estate Law Blog
On October 10, 2025, Governor Newsom signed SB 440, titled the Private Works Change Order Fair Payment Act. The new law introduces a process and deadlines for handling change order, time extension and payment disputes on private-works construction projects. SB 440 will apply to contracts entered into on or after January 1, 2026, and will remain in effect until January 1, 2030. What Is Changing? Construction projects often undergo changes during the construction process that may result in additional costs for labor and materials. Currently, there are no specific processes mandated for resolving change orders on private works of improvement in California. On January 1, 2017, California implemented Public Contract Code section 9204 to provide a claims resolution process for contractors engaged in public works projects, and SB 440 seeks to implement a similar process for private, nonresidential construction projects. Reprinted courtesy of Samuel Bucher, Pillsbury, Marc Coats, Pillsbury and William S. Hale, P.E., Pillsbury Mr. Bucher may be contacted at samuel.bucher@pillsburylaw.com Mr. Coats may be contacted at marc.coats@pillsburylaw.com Mr. Hale may be contacted at william.hale@pillsburylaw.com Read the full story...

Real Estate & Construction News Roundup (10/29/25) – Office Market Bounces Back, Senate Passes ROAD to Housing Act, and CRE Embraces Blockchain

November 03, 2025 — Pillsbury's Construction & Real Estate Law Team - Gravel2Gavel Construction & Real Estate Law Blog
In our latest roundup, lab space real estate faces challenges, demand for data creates power brokers, the cost burden of sports stadiums, and more!

The U.S. office market is bouncing back, entering a growth cycle after years of fighting vacancies. (Joe Burns, Construction Dive)
Cities eager to tout privately financed sports stadiums are still spending big through tax breaks, land deals and public financing that shift costs back to taxpayers. (Vicky Uhland, Construction Dive)
The Senate passed a bipartisan bill on October 9 that aims to boost the nation’s housing supply with a wide range of methods. (Julie Strupp, Multifamily Dive)

Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Pillsbury's Construction & Real Estate Law Team

$57M Settlement Keeps Red River Diversion Project Claims Out of Court

July 28, 2025 — Richard Korman - Engineering News-Record
The contractor and the flood control authority for the massive Red River diversion project in North Dakota have resolved $400 million in claims with a $57-million settlement. Much of what was negotiated concerned delay claims related to permits, third-party railroads and compliance with regulatory requirements, said a spokeswoman for the Metro Flood Diversion Authority (MFDA). A small part related to the failure to use epoxy coating on rebar in parts of the project to protect against corrosion, she said. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Richard Korman, Engineering News-Record
Mr. Korman may be contacted at kormanr@enr.com

Court Resolves Disagreement on the Amount of the Deductible

December 02, 2025 — Tred R. Eyerly - Insurance Law Hawaii
After a windstorm caused damage to the insured’s building and repair materials, the court sided with the insured in determining the amount of the deductible. Semaho, Inc. v. AMCO Ins. Co., 2025 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 193521 (D. Colo. Sept. 30, 2025). Semaho owned two commercial buildings insured under a policy issued by AMCO. The buildings were damaged in a windstorm and Semaho’s contractor stored the building materials for the repairs on one building’s roof. A second windstorm then seriously damaged the building materials stored on the roof. Semaho submitted a claim for the lost building materials. Coverage was undisputed but the parties disagreed over which deductible should apply to Semaho’s claim. The key policy provision stated that the deductible should be calculated separately for the “building” and for certain categories of “personal property,” based on “the value(s) of the property that has sustained loss or damage.” Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Tred R. Eyerly, Damon Key Leong Kupchak Hastert
Mr. Eyerly may be contacted at te@hawaiilawyer.com

Kiewit Seeks Millions in Added Connecticut Pier Renovation Costs

September 08, 2025 — Richard Korman - Engineering News-Record
Kiewit Corp. and the Connecticut Port Authority are preparing to begin mediation over tens of millions of dollars the contractor giant believes it is owed for the multiyear renovation of a critical state pier in New London, port officials said. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Richard Korman, Engineering News-Record
Mr. Korman may be contacted at kormanr@enr.com

What Startup Funding Reveals About the Future of Construction Technology

December 02, 2025 — Aarni Heiskanen - AEC Business
If the seeds of tomorrow’s construction technology are sown today, what does the future look like? Nymbl Ventures’ Q3 2025 ConTech Market Report reveals interesting data on the ConTech scene. A Growth Curve First of all, Construction Tech (“ConTech”) is performing well compared to other built environment technologies. According to Nymbl, VC investment in the built environment increased by around 27% year-over-year through Q3 2025, with the ConTech category leading the way. ConTech investments in the first three quarters totaled about $3.7 billion, more than twice the amount during the same period in 2024. Later-stage (post-Series A) deals accounted for 80% of funding in the third quarter. This suggests the market is moving from early experimentation to scaling and validating technologies in construction. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Aarni Heiskanen, AEC Business
Mr. Heiskanen may be contacted at aec-business@aepartners.fi

ANAHEIM CALIFORNIA CONSTRUCTION EXPERT WITNESS DIRECTORY AND CAPABILITIES