Source: http://www.lexology.com, July 26, 2014 By: Anthony B. Cavender, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP The First Court of Appeals, sitting in Houston, has affirmed the decision of an arbitration panel which had ruled in favor of the claims for personal injury and property damages resulting from Forest Oil Corporation’s oil and gas exploration and production […]

Source: Bangor Daily News (Maine), July 31, 2014 Posted on: http://envfpn.advisen.com The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has reached a $5.7 million settlement with ConAgra to pay for cleanup of the former A.C. Lawrence Leather Co. in South Paris, where a series of tannery sludge lagoons had been covered with gravel and began leaching into the […]

Source: http://thetimes-tribune.com, July 30, 2014 By: Brendan Gibbons Five natural gas wells in Bradford County have leaked methane for years because of persistent casing and cement problems, according to state Department of Environmental Protection records. In May, a DEP inspector found combustible gas flowing through vents connected to the cement between layers of pipe. The […]

Source: http://www.heraldonline.com, July 29, 2014 Allied World Assurance Company Holdings, AG announced today that Allied World North America launched its new Architects and Engineers Professional Liability line of business for the U.S. market. Coverage will be offered for four distinct areas, within the construction industry: architects and engineers professional liability, constructors professional liability, project specific […]

Source: http://www.jdsupra.com, July 2, 2014 By: Joan Cotkin, Nossaman LLP In an unpublished appellate decision from the state of Washington, on May 5, 2014, the Washington Court of Appeals affirmed a summary judgment in favor of a CGL insurer, Western National Assurance, relieving it of any obligation to defend the contractor insured, Shelcon Construction against […]

Source: http://businessinsavannah.com, July 16, 2014 By: Nicholas J. Laybourn Commercial property owners and environmental liability Despite popular perception, high-hazard businesses such as industrial sites and manufacturing facilities are not the only commercial properties that face environmental risks. Convenience stores, gas stations, hotels and resorts, shopping centers and office complexes may also be at risk of […]

Source: http://www.mondaq.com, July 25, 2014 By: Bradley J. Lorden, Proskauer Rose LLP Companies such as homebuilders, construction companies and contractors face significant financial risk from bodily injury and property damage claims arising from allegedly faulty workmanship or construction defects.  Although these companies purchase commercial general liability (“CGL”) policies to manage those risks, they often face […]

Source: http://www.insurancejournal.com, July 28, 2014 By: Phil Milford RPM International Inc., whose bankrupt Bondex and Specialty Products units may have faced liabilities of more than $1 billion, said it tentatively settled asbestos claims for $797.5 million. The money, allocated over a four-year period, will go into a trust to benefit personal injury claimants, the Medina, […]

Source: http://www.empirestatenews.net, July 29, 2014 A State Supreme Court ruling holds a landowner and his contractor liable for illegally operating a landfill and discharging pollution into a New York City drinking water source that has historically provided water to 1 million New Yorkers daily.  Putnam County Supreme Court Justice Victor Grossman found that Gary Prato, […]

The attached documents detail a recent Massachusetts decision that could impact general contractors and their expectations on building projects.  In the case of Coghlin Electrical Contractors, Inc. v. Gilbane Building Company & Travelers Casualty & Surety Co. of America, No. 2013-1300-D (Mass. Sup. Ct., June 24, 2014) (Davis, J.) a court “dismissed a Construction Manager’s […]

Source: http://www.metrowestdailynews.com, July 27, 2014 By: Jonathan Phelps Decades after the Nyanza Color and Chemical Co. plant in Ashland closed, the cleanup continues — and likely will for years to come. From 1917 to 1978, harmful waste from textile dyes were released into streams and the Sudbury River. Since 1982, Nyanza has been listed as a Superfund site through […]

Source: Beazley, PRO Newsletter, Summer 2014 Facts: A Beazley insured provided architectural services in connection with the design and construction of a recreational park. A construction defect lawsuit was filed by the project owner, who alleged that our insured did not sufficiently investigate the financial wherewithal of the project contractor and its surety. Moreover, the […]