Litigating Claims

Subscribe to Litigating Claims

Sitting in the “hot seat” for the first time can be a stressful and intimidating experience and especially so if there is significant money on the line. As a seasoned litigator, I have deposed more witnesses than I’d like to admit and have seen many witnesses struggle under the pressure (good for my client, bad for the other side). However, with the right preparation and mindset, you can make the process go more smoothly and avoid making costly mistakes. So, if you are a property manager or community association Board member who is going to be deposed as a witness for your community association’s transition or other pending litigation, check out the below tips on how to be the best witness you can be. And remember…breath.…

Continue Reading So You’re Going to Get Deposed? Essential Tips for the New Deponent

In New Jersey (and virtually all other states), construction defect cases for common interest community associations are heavily reliant on expert witnesses. Even if a building system is obviously defective — in that windows leak every time it rains, cracks have developed in walls, and sidewalks have sunken from improper soil compaction — the association must still present expert reports and testimony to prove its case at trial. Litigation expert reports in construction defect cases must generally address the following five issues:…

Continue Reading Pre COVID-19 Construction Cost Estimates Are Likely Outdated

Stucco is a product that has been in use as an exterior building cladding since the early 1800’s. It is made from Portland cement, sand and water. When installed correctly, stucco has been a reliable building material that looks good and allows incidental moisture infiltrating behind the stucco to be safely and efficiently evacuated from the building. Once stucco dries it is as hard as concrete.
…
Continue Reading What’s Wrong With the Stucco on Our Buildings?

If your community association is involved in matters requiring the hiring of experts, including, but not limited to, transition-related issues, or in evaluating what to do about design and/or construction deficiencies, financial irregularities, or environmental concerns, among others, the association is going to need to engage one or more experts to assist in investigating and determining the cause and scope of each problem, a protocol for fixing each problem, and evaluating who is responsible for the damages sustained by the association.
…
Continue Reading A Cautionary Tale: Resist the Impulse to Exert Pressure on Your Expert to Give Opinions They Don’t Really Believe

Brick is among the materials that are most commonly used as an exterior cladding material on condominiums and other residential buildings in New Jersey. If correctly installed and maintained, it will usually last for the life of the building without allowing water to penetrate inside the wall cavity where it can damage sheathing and framing. Nevertheless, we are routinely called upon to assist condominium and homeowner’s associations that have reports of damage to their buildings caused by deficient design and/or installation of brick.
…
Continue Reading What Can the Association Do About Damage From Water Infiltration Through Brick?

It’s that moment that no homeowner wants to have. You just returned from vacation and were in the midst of stowing the suitcases under the house in your crawlspace. As you were exiting the crawlspace, something caught your eye—a wet spot on the concrete slab floor. It wasn’t a puddle, but it was clearly moisture.

Hoping for something minor, you began to poke around. During your search, you discovered that a portion of insulation in between the floor boards was soaked. While you removed what you thought was the problem, you saw a water leak dripping down a vertical pipe in between your walls.

Unfortunately, every homeowner will have to deal with a situation like this at one time or another. Fortunately, we have insurance for these very situations, however, knowing what to do and how to handle this situation will make a world of difference to both your mental health and to your wallet.…

Continue Reading Dealing with the Unexpected: Filing an Insurance Claim

Having construction work or renovations done on your home is certainly an exciting, but undoubtedly stressful time. In fact, the process from selecting a suitable (and experienced) contractor to completion of the project can be downright daunting at times. As a homeowner myself, who coincidentally is going through this very process as we speak, I know the difficulties of sifting through countless potential contractors, negotiating prices, and coordinating schedules and the like. As daunting as it may seem, there are certain steps a homeowner can take at the outset that will mitigate potential pitfalls during construction, ensure your project is constructed properly, mitigate construction disputes, and alleviate unnecessary stress.
…
Continue Reading How You Can Mitigate Construction Disputes with Contractors

The November 16, 2016 issue of the Wall Street Journal ran an article about Celebration, Florida, which is the master-planned community built by The Walt Disney Company in 1996. The title of the article summarized the state of affairs in Celebration as follows: “There Is Little Celebration in the Town Disney Built: Mold, leaks, rot are hurting the 1990s utopia; ‘they’re harassing my team.’” My initial thought was that if this can happen to a community built by the world’s most famous mouse, it is little wonder that a large portion of my practice involves representing community associations in lawsuits against developers and architects for construction and design deficiencies.
…
Continue Reading Disney-Built Community Faces Serious Construction Deficiencies

Stark & Stark Shareholders Randy Sawyer and Andrew Podolski have successfully settled the Lakeside at North Haledon Condominium construction defect case for $7.4 Million.

The case involved serious design and construction defect claims which caused damage to common elements from water infiltration through and around stucco, manufactured stone veneer (MSV) and other exterior cladding systems, plus roofs, windows and balconies. This is an impressive result because the case involved challenging insurance coverage issues related to policy exclusions for synthetic stucco trim and the lack of proof of consequential damage to sheathing and framing.…

Continue Reading Lakeside at North Haledon Condominium Construction Defect Case Successfully Settled for $7.4 Million

Stark & Stark Shareholders Thomas J. Pryor and Donald B. Brenner have successfully settled the Bay View Condominium construction defect case for $3.1M. Shareholder Randy Sawyer, along with Associates Gene Markin, John Prisco, and Tara Speer were all part of the team effort that achieved this settlement.

The case involved design and construction defect claims which caused damage to common elements from water infiltration through and around brick and other exterior cladding systems, plus roofs, windows and a plaza over a parking garage. Stark & Stark is particularly proud of this result because the case involved challenging insurance coverage issues related to the lack of proof of consequential damage to sheathing and framing.…

Continue Reading Bayview Condominium Construction Defect Case Successfully Settled for $3.1 Million