Tag Archives: terminology

The police are at the door! Service of the construction lawsuit on your company (Law & Order: Hard Hat files Part 2)

Posted on by

sheriff carThe police?  Yes, that’s right.  If you are sued, at least in North Carolina, you may find Mr. Policeman (or Ms. Policewoman) at your door.  There are several ways that you may find out you or your company are being sued, but undoubtedly seeing the Sheriff at the door is the most nerve-racking.  Heck, we have Sheriffs in our law office occasionally to serve papers, and the sight never fails to startle me.  So be forewarned—the first you find out that there is a lawsuit may be when Johnny Law himself comes knocking.

While unnerving (as it is often meant to be by the party suing you), rest assured that all the Sheriff will be doing is identifying you and handing you papers showing you’ve been sued.  The Sheriff doesn’t actually have to hand you the papers personally- in fact, depending on if and how you are incorporated, he may be handing them to your spouse, another adult that resides in your house, your business partner, or an officer or manager of your professional association.  While the Sheriff is not supposed to leave papers with a mere employee, that can and does happen as well.

The Sheriff is not the only way you can be sued.  You can also get a certified mail package—you know, the type that requires you to go sign for it at the post office.  Or, you may get a Fed Ex package.  If you are being sued in federal court, or you know the lawsuit is coming, you may not get anything, as it may all come to your lawyer instead.

What should you do if you do get the lawsuit (called the Complaint)?  First, run, do not walk, to your insurance carrier and/or lawyer.  Do not pass go.  This should be the first thing you do.  If you don’t have a lawyer, but you have insurance, your agent should be able to help you report the claim, and a lawyer will be assigned to you by the insurance company.  If you have a lawyer, you can report to him/her, and ask the lawyer to make the claim on your behalf to your insurance company.

Remember, however, that you need to report it as soon as you can.  In state actions in North Carolina, you have 30 days from receipt to respond.  In federal actions, you have 20 days.  There are certain rules concerning weekends and governmental holidays that change these deadlines at times.  But the important thing to remember is that you must respond, timely, or you can end up with a judgment entered against you in default.  So, when you report the lawsuit, the first thing your agent or lawyer will want to know is the date you (or someone connected with you) first received the Complaint.

If you report the claim and do not hear back?  Follow up.  Never assume that an email went through or that the person you called isn’t on vacation or in the hospital.  Make sure that you speak with your agent and/or lawyer personally and that they know when you were served.

Questions? Comments?  Have you ever been sued?  Do you now know something you wish you knew then?  Drop me a line or comment below.

Next week in our series:  You have the right to an attorney! (but one will not be appointed for your construction lawsuit)

Photo (c) freefoto.com

 

Latent Defects: extending the statute of limitations (law note)

Posted on by

defective-tools-cause-injuriesAs we’ve previously discussed, the statute of limitations for construction claims in North Carolina is generally three years.  That is, once 3 years have passed, you are generally protected from any lawsuit filed after that time.

Does that mean that no lawsuit can be filed against you subsequent to that time?  No.  First, the statute of limitations is an affirmative defense, meaning that you must timely assert the defense as part of your response to the lawsuit.

Secondly, it is sometimes not apparent when the three year period begins to run.  Substantial completion or final completion?  What if your work is finished, but the project is not– does the three year period not start until project completion?  The issue of whether the statute of limitations has run is complex, and a mixture of law and fact questions.  See, Lord et al v. Customized Consulting Specialty, Inc. et al, 182 N.C. App. 635, 643 S.E.2d 28 (2007).

Finally, be aware of the hidden danger of hidden dangers. 

The three years does not start to run until it becomes obvious that there is damage stemming from your professional negligence.  The applicable statute states that the three years “shall not accrue until bodily harm to the claimant or physical damage to his property becomes apparent or ought reasonably to have become apparent to the claimant, whichever event first occurs.” N.C. Gen.Stat. § 1-52 (2005).

In other words, if there is a defect that is not readily observable and visual, the three years may not start to run until it becomes observable (e.g., through destructive testing, repair work, or renovation work).  This is what is known as a “latent defect”, and it can impose liability far beyond the initial 3 years.

Does the latent defect rule extend liability indefinitely?  No, it does not.  The statute of repose (6 years in NC; other states vary) will impose an absolute final date on real property improvements, after which no further liability can successfully be claimed.

Questions?  Drop me a comment, below.  Also, be sure to sign up for regular email updates and our free Construction Professional newsletter by entering your contact information on the top right of the homepage.

Photo “Defective Tools Cause Injuries” – NARA – 514107 

When is a Construction Project truly “Complete”? That depends. (law note)

Posted on by

Crossing the finish line

——————————

Long-time readers of the blog may remember my earlier post on substantial completion.  However, in looking over my blog stats to see what search terms lead people here, it looks like this is hot topic.  The blog searches came in two general categories:

1.  Those searching strictly for a definition of substantial completion.  Some examples:

  • What does “substantial completion” mean?
  • when does a building achieve substantial completion
  • contracts “substantial completion”
  • substantial completion undefined
  • when is a project substantially complete

For those of you who want a definition, I refer you to my earlier post.  Essentially, however, the term is not always defined, which can be part of the problem.  If you are using AIA contract documents, there is a built in description that defines it as when the Owner can occupy or use the building.  Even the AIA definition, however does not state that there must be a permanent or temporary certificate of occupancy before substantial completion can occur.  While some might presume that a certificate of occupany is required, better practice would be to include language that specifically states that substantial completion also requires that the Contractor deliver to the Owner a certificate of occupany. This leads to the second major category of blog search terms related to substantial completion:

2.  Those looking to compare substantial completion with certificates of occupancy.  Examples include:

  • certificate of substantial completion vs certificate of occupancy
  • substantial completion or final completion
  • completion vs substantial completion
  • construction certificate of substantial completion

This can be a confusing distinction, but in reality the two are generally unrelated to each other [unless you state that a Certificate of Occupancy is part of the Substantial Completion process.] A Certificate of Occupancy is issued by the Building Department official when the building fulfills all requirements to be safely occupied.  In contrast, a Certificate of Substantial Completion is requested the contractor and granted by the architect.  Sometimes things that need to be completed before the architect can issue a certificate of substantial completion do not prevent the building of receiving Certificate of Occupancy.  [Unless, that is, you are in an odd jurisdiction, where a Building Inspector will demand a Certificate of Substantial Completion before issuing a Certificate of Occupancy.] A final note:  for those who were wondering about Final Completion, this occurs after the final inspection; i.e., after the architect verifies that the punch list is complete and all contract terms have been met.   [The punch list work can be conducted while the Owner has beneficial use of the building.]  At Final Completion, the final Certificate of Payment is issued. Confused yet? Drop me a line.  And, share below:  what has been your experience with certificates of occupancy and whether or not they relate to substantial completion?

Photo (c) Euromotorworks. 

 

Understanding & Modifying Key Construction Contract Terms

Posted on by

As I mentioned, I  was one of three amigos who spoke on a Construction Contract webinar last week.  We had a good turn out and lots of very astute questions during the Q&A portion.  While you will miss all of my witty insightful helpful commentary, you can check out the slides for my portion, on understanding and modifying key terms, here:

Drafting Construction Contracts

My comrades’ presentations can be found by visiting Chris’s blog (for payment provision issues) and Craig’s blog (for damages and dispute resolution issues).  Happy viewing!

Explaining Negligence in the Construction Industry (Guest post)

Posted on by

Today, a guest post by Anne Roberts.  Anne Roberts is a freelance writer. She writes blog posts, how-to articles, SEO copies, and many other types of content for several websites. Anne is currently a web content writer for personal injury attorneys.  (But we like her anyway!!)

Explaining Negligence in the Construction Industry

The construction world can be regarded as one of the most dangerous industries to work in. Because of the inherent hazards that come with working on a construction or repair project, both construction professionals and laborers uphold certain standards to ensure a safe working environment.

Contractors, surveyors, engineers, project managers to employers–all have a duty of care to observe. They make sure that assessments of risks involved in any facet of construction are made. Laborers, on the other hand, benefit from the assessments by exercising preventive measures.

Still, accidents happen.

Acrobatic_Construction_Workers

Some of the most common accidents that occur in construction sites involve six-feet-or-more falls from ladders or stairs. Other accidents are caused by the failure to implement safety precautions, such as improper building of scaffolding, use of dangerous tools and unsafe machinery, and other hazardous issues.  Without proper implementation of safety precautions, working on an elevated surface may result to debilitating injuries and even death.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), it has been estimated that fatal accidents involving construction workers accounted for 15 percent of all job-related deaths in the U.S.  Such injuries or deaths may not have happened if a certain construction or repair project employed safety rules or standards of care. Such occurrence is categorized as construction negligence.

Determining Liability

When a serious accident happens, usually all parties involved are brought into the litigation, as cross-allegations of construction safety issues, construction defects, and construction administration/observation/inspection issues.  In North Carolina, an employee cannot sue his employer for a workplace accident (but instead seek a workers’ compensation recovery).  The employee can, however, bring a negligence action against any/all (other) responsible third parties.  [Editor’s Note: The parties may have rights to recover against each other if one is actively negligent and one is only passively negligent.  Otherwise, joint & several liability applies.]

To establish negligence, the injured party must prove the following four factors:

  1. The construction professionals involved have a duty of care;
  2. They breached or violated that duty of care;
  3. The breach of duty of care resulted to an injury; and
  4. The injury was the result of the construction professionals’ negligence.

[Editor’s Note:  The injured party also must not have been contributorily negligent.]

Other than in a construction or repair project site, construction negligence also happens on highway construction and post-construction efforts. Unsafe conditions during roadwork can be considered negligence, especially if workers, as well as motorists, consequently sustained certain injuries.

Even a complete building can be a source of negligence, in which the contractor or subcontractor failed to adhere to building codes. Construction defects, such as low structural integrity of the building, mechanical and electrical failure, and low-quality finishes, may lead to injuries and deaths.

Melissa again:  Thanks Anne for your post!       Readers:  Watch this space– I’m planning on posting an infographic tomorrow that will show construction accidents & related statistics.  Stay tuned.  In the meantime, please leave any questions or thoughts in the comment section, below.

Photo of workers on bamboo scaffolding (c) Terrance TS Tam.