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Construction
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March 06, 2024
Fla. Judge Relieves Insurer Of $1M Construction Defect Row
An insurer has no obligation to defend or indemnify a general contractor or subcontractor in an over $1 million faulty construction dispute, a Florida federal judge ruled, finding that the subcontractor's policies contained an unambiguous "residential construction" exclusion that clearly barred coverage.
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March 06, 2024
Feds Pledge $72M For Tribes To Close Electrification Gaps
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland said the Biden administration is awarding $72 million in a first round of funding to help Native American tribes electrify more homes in their communities.
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March 06, 2024
Chamber, Trade Groups Revamp Contractor Rule Challenge
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and a slew of trade groups revamped their lawsuit in Texas federal court accusing the U.S. Department of Labor of violating federal law when it issued its latest independent contractor rule, alleging it tried to circumvent a court's earlier ruling.
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March 05, 2024
Settlement Gets 'Tire Spinning' EB-5 Fraud Suit Unstuck
Winter thawed in a Florida courthouse on Tuesday when the last remaining defendant in a nearly decade-long $50 million investment fraud suit agreed to settle the case, surprising the judge and opposing counsel after refusing for years to strike a deal.
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March 05, 2024
Court Has No Cause To Deny Casino Land Request, Tribe Says
A Michigan tribe urged the D.C. Circuit to reverse a lower court's ruling blocking it from acquiring land for two casino developments, arguing there's no dispute it bought the land to generate gaming revenue and that the Supreme Court and Congress have recognized its endeavor.
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March 05, 2024
DC Circ. Leery Of Challenges To Nuke Waste Storage Site
A D.C. Circuit panel on Tuesday didn't appear convinced by challenges to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's approval of a temporary nuclear waste storage site in New Mexico.
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March 05, 2024
Gibson Dunn AI Leader On Weathering The AI Policy Blizzard
Like a mountaineer leading a team through a snowstorm, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP's artificial intelligence co-chair Cassandra L. Gaedt-Sheckter is guiding companies developing and using artificial intelligence through a blizzard of new laws and regulations coming online in Europe and the U.S., saying that assessing AI risks is the North Star to mitigating them.
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March 05, 2024
Mich. Appeals Court Speeds Up Ford Battery Factory Dispute
A Michigan appeals judge agreed Tuesday to fast-track a case brought by opponents of a planned $3.5 billion Ford battery plant who want to put a ballot question to voters in the next election.
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March 05, 2024
Pa. Justices Ask If Pipeline Fight Is Preempted 'Civil Action'
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Tuesday pondered whether the federal National Gas Act empowers the state to review permits for a pipeline project, or bars it from doing so, a question that hinges on whether appeals to a state board are preempted civil actions or administrative proceedings that would fall under the state's purview.
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March 05, 2024
FERC LNG Approvals Flout Court's Orders, DC Circ. Told
Environmental and local community groups have told the D.C. Circuit that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's reapproval of two Texas liquefied natural gas terminals must be thrown out because it failed to undertake additional analysis of the projects' greenhouse gas emissions and environmental justice impacts.
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March 05, 2024
Wind Farm Challengers Meet Resistance At 1st Circ.
A First Circuit panel on Tuesday appeared unlikely to undo the government's approval of a 62-turbine wind farm off the coasts of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, questioning the effort of opponents to get the court to consider data on right whales that it did not present to agencies during the review process.
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March 05, 2024
Treasury Finalizes Direct Pay Rules For Energy Tax Credits
The U.S. Department of the Treasury on Tuesday finalized regulations governing direct payments of several clean energy tax credits provided by the Inflation Reduction Act but said it was still mulling how to address so-called chaining of payments and co-ownership arrangements.
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March 04, 2024
Ex-Philly Union 'Gofer' Gets Probation For Embezzlement
A former International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers employee who admitted to shopping with union funds while serving as a "gofer" for convicted ex-business manager John Dougherty was sentenced to three years of probation on Monday in Pennsylvania federal court.
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March 04, 2024
Insurer Secures Win In $3.7M Pool Damage Row
A construction company's insurer does not have to cover a $3.7 million judgment awarded to homeowners for the faulty construction of a pool, a Montana federal court ruled, finding that business risk and professional liability exclusions barred coverage under the company's general liability policy.
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March 04, 2024
Divisive Housing Law A 'Great Test' For New Mass. AG
A high-stakes legal showdown over Massachusetts' requirement that communities served by public transit build affordable housing presents a significant test for state Attorney General Andrea Campbell that could come back to hurt her politically, experts told Law360.
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March 04, 2024
Stockholder In Homebuilder MDC Challenges $5B Acquisition
A stockholder in homebuilder MDC Holdings Inc. accused the Denver-based company of agreeing to a $4.9 billion all-cash acquisition by a Japanese homebuilder only for the benefit of MDC's board.
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March 04, 2024
Appeal Of $20.5M Terminated Deal Too Late, Says Fed. Circ.
The Federal Circuit on Monday declined to revive a construction company's untimely challenge over the termination of a $20.5 million National Guard contract, saying the company had enough information to be aware of the deadline to appeal.
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March 04, 2024
Vexatious Litigation Claims Can't Transfer, Conn. Court Says
A construction supplier has no basis for vexatious litigation claims against multiple attorneys, much less a claim for early remedies from them, because the allegations are tied to the company's predecessor and current company can't pursue them, a Connecticut appeals court ruled Friday.
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March 04, 2024
Sullivan & Cromwell-Led United Rentals Paying $1.1B For Yak
Sullivan & Cromwell LLP is representing equipment rental giant United Rentals in a new agreement to buy the Yak roadway matting business from Morgan Lewis-guided Platinum Equity for $1.1 billion, United said in a statement Monday.
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March 04, 2024
Feds Escape $603K In Atty Fees Despite Customs' Loss
The U.S. Court of International Trade has found that Customs officials reasonably, albeit wrongly, determined that an importer skirted tariffs on Chinese saw blades, holding that the importer can't foist the $603,000 legal bill it incurred in an ultimately successful fight onto the government.
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March 04, 2024
Justices Won't Review Concrete Co. Licensing Fight
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday turned away a petition arguing that state courts are "eroding" the rule requiring clear evidence that a party agreed to arbitrate a particular dispute, in a case centering on an arbitral award favoring a concrete company in a licensing feud.
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March 04, 2024
Trump's Former Finance Chief Pleads Guilty To Perjury
Allen Weisselberg, the longtime former financial chief of Donald Trump's real estate business empire, admitted Monday to lying under oath in the New York attorney general's civil fraud case as part of a plea deal to serve five months in jail.
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March 01, 2024
McDermott Investors' Cert. Bid Should Be Denied, Judge Says
Investors in energy industry engineering company McDermott International Inc. shouldn't be granted class certification in their suit over the company's $6 billion all-stock acquisition of Chicago Bridge & Iron Co., a federal magistrate judge has determined.
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March 01, 2024
Iowa Co.'s Ongoing Need For Workers Sinks H-2B Bid
A U.S. Department of Labor appeals board backed the department's denial of a pre-engineered building manufacturer's bid to temporarily hire 25 foreign workers, saying the Iowa company failed to show that its need for the workers was indeed temporary.
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March 01, 2024
Construction Co. Loses $492M Corps Deal Protest
The Court of Federal Claims has shot down a construction company's contention that the Army Corps of Engineers awarded a $492.3 million cutoff wall project deal despite the awardee having a deficient subcontractor commitment letter, saying the letter wasn't needed.
Expert Analysis
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Mitigating Costs And Delays In The Energy Transition
Achieving net-zero will require constructing a massive amount of new wind, solar and energy storage infrastructure — and while cost overruns and delays are to be expected, contractors and owners can proactively address these problems in their project documents, say Christopher Ryan and Jesse Sherrett at Shearman.
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NY Co-Ops Must Avoid Pitfalls When Navigating Insurance
In light of skyrocketing premiums, tricky exclusions and dwindling options, New York cooperative corporations must carefully review potential contractors' insurance policies in order to secure full protection, as even seemingly minor contractor jobs can carry significant risk due to New York labor laws, says Eliot Zuckerman at Smith Gambrell.
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Strategic Succession Planning At Law Firms Is Crucial
Senior partners' reluctance to retire, the rise of the nonequity partner tier and generational differences in expectations are all contributing to an increasing number of departures from BigLaw, making it imperative for firms to encourage retirement among senior ranks and provide clearer leadership pathways to junior attorneys, says Laura Leopard at Leopard Solutions.
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Maximizing Law Firm Profitability In Uncertain Times
As threats of an economic downturn loom, firms can boost profits by embracing the power of bottom-line management and creating an ecosystem where strategic financial oversight and robust timekeeping practices meet evolved client relations, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Strategic Consulting.
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Mass. Ruling Shows Value Of Additional Insured Specifics
A Massachusetts court’s recent D.F. Pray v. Wesco Insurance decision demonstrates that blanket additional insured endorsements can create issues with personal jurisdiction, so those named as additional insureds should require their lower-tier contractors to use specific endorsements, say Thomas Dunn and Sheya Rivard at Pierce Atwood.
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5th Circ. Ruling Reminds Attys That CBP Can Search Devices
The Fifth Circuit’s recent Malik v. Department of Homeland Security decision adds to the chorus of federal courts holding that border agents don’t need a warrant to search travelers’ electronic devices, so attorneys should consider certain special precautions to secure privileged information when reentering the U.S., says Jennifer Freel at Jackson Walker.
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Series
ESG Around The World: European Union
As the EU makes ESG regulation a priority, companies — both those based in the EU and others just doing business there — need to keep abreast of myriad new legislation that has either already taken effect or will in the near future, as noncompliance could result in fines, damages and director liability, say attorneys at Steptoe & Johnson.
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What To Consider When Converting Calif. Offices To Housing
In light of California legislators' recent efforts to expedite the process for converting offices into residential buildings, developers should evaluate both the societal upsides, and the significant economic and legal hurdles, of such conversions, says Steven Otto at Crosbie Gliner.
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Avoiding The Ethical Pitfalls Of Crowdfunded Legal Fees
The crowdfunding of legal fees has become increasingly common, providing a new way for people to afford legal services, but attorneys who accept crowdsourced funds must remember several key ethical obligations to mitigate their risks, say Hilary Gerzhoy and Julienne Pasichow at HWG.
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3 Action Items For Contractors Facing A Gov't Shutdown
Federal contractors can help ensure they are well situated to endure a potential government shutdown by reviewing project funding levels and contractual stop-work clauses, and communicating with contracting officers and subcontractors about their respective obligations, says Derek Mullins at Butzel Long.
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What Large Language Models Mean For Document Review
Courts often subject parties using technology assisted review to greater scrutiny than parties conducting linear, manual document review, so parties using large language models for document review should expect even more attention, along with a corresponding need for quality control and validation, say attorneys at Sidley.
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Checking In On How SuperValu Has Altered FCA Litigation
Four months after the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in U.S. ex rel. Chutte v. SuperValu, the decision's reach may be more limited than initially anticipated, with the expansion of the scienter standard counterbalanced by some potential defense tools for defendants, say Elena Quattrone and Olivia Plinio at Epstein Becker.
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Series
Participating In Living History Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My role as a baron in a living history group, and my work as volunteer corporate counsel for a book series fan association, has provided me several opportunities to practice in unexpected areas of law — opening doors to experiences that have nurtured invaluable personal and professional skills, says Matthew Parker at the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.
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Insurance Cos. Are Stretching Construction Standard Limits
In the construction sector, the importance of closely vetting downstream parties' insurance policies has never been more critical — owners and general contractors need to be on the lookout for ever broader carrier-specific expansions of standard insurance provisions that are perilous for risk transfer, says Eric Clarkson at Saxe Doernberger.
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Opinion
Private Equity Owners Can Remedy Law Firms' Agency Issues
Nonlawyer, private-equity ownership of law firms can benefit shareholders and others vulnerable to governance issues such as disparate interests, and can in turn help resolve agency problems, says Michael Di Gennaro at The Law Practice Exchange.