Source: http://www.mondaq.com, September 4, 2017 By: John R. Hardin, K&L Gates While the full extent of damages caused by Hurricane Harvey is unknown at present, the storm has already caused unprecedented damage in Texas. That damage arises in the midst of pending legislative change that may affect significantly losses governed by Texas law. Specifically, for […]

Source: Dow Jones News Service, September 4, 2017 Posted on: http://www.advisen.com By Douglas Belkin and Tawnell D. Hobbs Water is subsiding in flooded neighborhoods, the mayor is insisting Houston “is open for business,” and shelters are emptying out, but Texans returning to flood-damaged homes face plenty of obstacles: the threat of toxic pollutants in the […]

Source: http://www.newyorklawjournal.com, August 29, 2017 By: Kenneth M. Block and Joshua M. Levy, New York Law Journal Construction delays, whether from lack of subcontractor coordination, construction defects, design errors or omissions, late decision making, force majeure, etc., can have disastrous consequences for owners and contractors alike. Owners can suffer extended management, supervisory, administration, insurance and […]

Source: http://siouxcityjournal.com, August 30, 2017 By: Nick Hytrek The city of Sergeant Bluff has sued the engineering firm that designed its water treatment plant, claiming the facility does not function as promised. The city paid Veenstra & Kimm Inc., of West Des Moines, Iowa, more than $4.5 million to design the plant, but since its […]

Source: https://www.lexology.com, August 29, 2017 By: Kirk D. Johnston, Smith Currie & Hancock Two of the primary mechanisms for construction risk transfer are indemnity provisions and insurance agreements. Both indemnity provisions and insurance agreements require one party to stand good for the loss of another. But there are significant differences, both practical and legal. In […]

Source: http://www.cnn.com, August 31, 207 By: Nicole Chavez and Holly Yan A spate of unexpected disasters are gripping Texas cities nearly a week after Hurricane Harvey slammed into the coast. The entire city of Beaumont has no running water after both of its water pumps failed. And they won’t be fixed until the floodwater has […]

Source: https://bangordailynews.com, August 29, 2017 By: Deborah McDermott The York Board of Selectmen have agreed to pay for a detailed assessment of the Maine Department of Transportation facility on Route 1, after an engineer hired by the town said there are too many unanswered questions about what lies underground for the town to move forward […]

Source: https://www.tapinto.net, August 29, 2017 By: Jack Murtha Workers began cleaning up the former site of the Ferren Mall and parking deck this week near downtown New Brunswick, according to Middlesex County. The move represents yet another step toward the property’s future. While which tenants and what exactly will occupy the site remain unclear, it’s poised to […]

Source: http://www.mlive.com, August 30, 2017 By: Garret Ellison Toxic chemicals from industrial waste dumped in unlined trenches at a long-forgotten landfill have turned up this year in private residential drinking water wells north of Grand Rapids, and public health officials worry the contamination may have been occurring unnoticed for decades. Wolverine World Wide, a global shoe […]

Source: http://www.constructionrisk.com, August 2017 By: Kent Holland Where lead-based paint was ingested by a tenant’s child, the tenant sued her landlord for injuries allegedly sustained by the child. The landlord tendered the claim to its commercial general liability (CGL) insurer who, instead of defending the case, filed a declaratory judgment action seeking a determination that […]

Source: http://napavalleyregister.com, August 23, 2017 By: Bruce Sackrison Most business insurance policies exclude pollution — and most business owners don’t know this. For this last article in a series, I could have called “weird liability coverage” we’ll look at a liability risk and coverage that is seldom talked about. Even if you don’t own an […]

Source: http://www.baltimoresun.com, August 18, 2017 By: Luke Broadwater Baltimore officials agreed this week to pay $3.9 million to help clean up hazardous pollution from a dump site in East Baltimore. The Board of Estimates, which is controlled by Mayor Catherine Pugh, voted Wednesday to enter into a consent decree with the federal government and state […]