Scrutiny shifts to city of New Orleans in the aftermath of the Hard Rock collapse

Alleged malfeasance in the New Orleans Department of Safety and Permits could leave the city liable, although it would be difficult to prove, a legal expert explains.

By Kim Slowey • March 9, 2020

OSHA advisory committee discusses major industry hazards

The Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health examined and advised on top issues including falls, opioid abuse and suicide.

By Kim Slowey • March 9, 2020

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Legal Issues

Contracts, disputes, change orders and delays can keep builders up at night. Construction Dive covers some of the top issues facing the industry.

By Construction Dive staff

Clark settles $5M The Wharf DC lawsuit with Perkins Eastman for undisclosed amount

The general contractor for Phase 1 of the $2.5 billion development sued the architecture firm for design flaws in 2018 and the latter retaliated with a claim about not being paid. Clark says the pair are now ready to work together again.

By Kim Slowey • March 6, 2020

Contractor allegedly stole trade secrets to underbid on botched NYC bridge armor installation job

Security firm Hardwire alleges that Infrastructure Armor's mistakes have left the cables of Kosciuszko Bridge vulnerable to terror attacks and other threats.

By Kim Slowey • March 4, 2020

Tutor Perini subsidiary rebuts Pennsylvania lawmaker's 'change-order scheming' accusations

A lawyer for Cherry Hill said PennDOT knew in December of 2015 that the project would not be completed on time due to errors made by the state agency.

By Kim Slowey • Updated March 23, 2020

Florida limits retainage on public projects to 5%

Beginning in October, the maximum retainage that public entities in Florida will be able to withhold from contractors on most large projects is being cut in half from 10%.

By Kim Slowey • March 2, 2020

NLRB issues final joint-employer rule

The ABC said the ruling should provide clarity to contractors about their responsibility under the National Labor Relations Act.

By Kim Slowey • Feb. 26, 2020

New P3 contract form promises to better allocate risk

ConsensusDocs said it developed a new standardized public-private partnership agreement in part to lower transactional costs for small and medium-sized projects.

By Kim Slowey • Feb. 26, 2020

Suspended New Orleans building inspector resigns over alleged Hard Rock project negligence

After vehicle GPS records revealed that two city employees may have not even visited the property on the dates they said they inspected it, one still awaits a hearing.

By Kim Slowey • Updated March 16, 2020

Manhattan developers could be forced to demo 20 floors from top of luxury condo

Legal action taking aim at permits being granted in an alleged zoning loophole could put the nearly complete project's financing in jeopardy and affect at least 20 other projects in New York City.

By Kim Slowey • Feb. 24, 2020

DHS waives procurement regs for border wall construction

The contractors who will bid on projects subject to the waiver have already been shortlisted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

By Kim Slowey • Feb. 21, 2020

Construction companies subpoenaed by San Francisco City

Officials are investigating alleged corruption by a public works official and restaurateur and seeing how Webcor, Pankow, Clark and more may have been involved.

By Kim Slowey • Feb. 19, 2020

Comcast developer, LF Driscoll face off in lawsuits over extra work at $1.5B Philadelphia tower

Developer Liberty Property Trust and contractor LF Driscoll Co. are suing each other for $103 million each over cost overruns and delays on the tallest building in the city, the Comcast Technology Center.

By Kim Slowey • Feb. 18, 2020

New Jersey DOL cites, fines Katerra sub for wage violations

Subcontractor REB Construction and Maintenance was working for Katerra but has since been replaced after a stop-work-order and $19,250 fine.

By Kim Slowey • Feb. 18, 2020

Widow sues construction equipment supplier 3M for wrongful death

Plantiffs claim that the 3M lifeline failed to protect the Kiewit-Hoffman East Link Constructors worker from a 35-foot fall at the $3.7 billion East Link rail project in Seattle.

By Kim Slowey • Feb. 11, 2020

10 biggest OSHA fines of 2019

Fall protection violations are by far the most common among the heaviest fines, which reached as high as $1.8 million in 2019.

By Kim Slowey • Feb. 5, 2020

$1B US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis construction issues include 2-year, $21M leak exposure fix

The eight companies involved will pay for the work through a fund established during mediation between Mortenson, the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority and other parties involved in the NFL arena.

By Kim Slowey • Updated March 3, 2020

Miami Beach city manager calls Clark's convention center allegations 'unfounded'

In a lawsuit filed last week, Clark Construction Group said it is seeking approximately $90 million for extra work and retainage on the $600 million project. 

By Kim Slowey • Updated Feb. 3, 2020

Hard Rock Hotel project collapse sparks new investigation

In addition to OSHA and other investigations, the New Orleans City Council will hold hearings on the October hotel project collapse that killed three workers and injured several others.

By Kim Slowey • Jan. 30, 2020

Connecticut construction exec sentenced to prison for defrauding employees out of $3.4M

The owner of Ferguson Mechanical and Ferguson Electric deducted sham pension administrative fees from his 300 employees' paychecks and diverted the cash for his own use.

By Kim Slowey • Jan. 29, 2020

San Francisco's Treasure Island residents sue Lennar, others for $2B, claim failed toxic cleanup

The plaintiffs are asking to halt construction on the $6 billion redevelopment on a San Francisco Bay island until independent verification is provided.

By Kim Slowey • Jan. 28, 2020

Lendlease sues NYC building department over death citation

Lendlease maintains that the security guard killed on the $3 billion Central Park Tower project in 2018 was an employee and not a member of the public.

By Kim Slowey • Jan. 27, 2020

Manhattan DA charges former Metro-North Railroad employee, 2 others in bid-rigging scheme

WRS Environmental Services, according to the district attorney, won Metro-North contracts worth $10 million by using inside information and is also charged. 

By Kim Slowey • Jan. 23, 2020

Construction's costliest OSHA fines of Q4 2019

One incident cited by the agency involved a 15-year-old roofer, who died after he fell through an unsupported roof section.

By Kim Slowey • Jan. 23, 2020

Austin, Texas, program requires contractors, developers to pay for employee parking

A new pilot program designed to curb parking shortages caused by construction workers in downtown Austin follows similar efforts by cities in Florida, California, Utah and Colorado.​

By Jennifer Goodman • Jan. 23, 2020