Litigating Claims

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For a newer community association board that has recently undergone transition from developer to unit owner control, there is significant temptation to accept a quick, lump sum settlement from the developer to “settle” any remaining punch list items. New board members are often in active and frequent communication with the developer, including any developer-appointed (non-unit owner) representatives who are still sitting on the board. In addition, developers are often willing to work with associations up to and during transition to resolve any outstanding construction issues. With a seemingly cooperative developer on the one hand, and the immense costs posed by litigation on the other, boards frequently adopt a “take what we can get” approach to resolving outstanding issues with a developer rather than digging in and using the threat of litigation to leverage a better settlement. At best, this approach will most likely result in the association leaving money on the table; at worst, it will cost unit owners tens of thousands in future special assessments.

When a developer sells 75% of the units in a condominium or home owner association development, majority control of the association board is turned over to unit owners from the developer (who, up until this point, had its own representatives controlling the board). During this process, known as Transition, a developer’s primary concern is to pave the way to selling off the remaining units, obtain releases of its performance bonds and, most importantly, get the association to sign a litigation release that will prevent the association from ever suing the developer in the future. In order to get a litigation release, the developer will often offer a seemingly large sum of money. Often, the amount the developer offers actually exceeds the cost to fix any open punch list items that have yet to be completed. This seemingly generous offer by the developer is designed to tempt the board into quickly releasing the developer from any future claims. …

Continue Reading Tempted By A Quick Transition Settlement? Not So Fast!

Stark & Stark’s nationally recognized Construction Litigation group has scored some recent victories, advocating for community association and condo community clients while negotiating two major settlements in complex construction defect litigation claims for nearly $10 Million.

Most recently, the group skillfully negotiated a settlement on behalf of a Condominium Association in excess of $5.75 Million for a complex construction defect case against more than 45 defendants involving damages from water infiltration to 188 condominium units spread over 26 buildings. Stark & Stark Shareholder Andrew Podolski took the case from inception, developed and implemented the strategy, and otherwise put the case together for a jury trial. Trial was scheduled to begin on May 23, and was expected to run more than 2 months. The ramp up of trial prep activity and the looming trial date ultimately brought the defendants to the table for rigorous settlement negotiations. Drew was ably assisted in the litigation of the case by Associate John Prisco, who took some of the depositions, helped plow through a mountain of discovery materials, and did outstanding work on numerous motions and assisted with trial preparation.…

Continue Reading Stark & Stark Scores Recent Settlement Victories for Condo Communities Totaling Nearly $10 Million

Community associations are often given common elements in transition that incur damage from design and/or construction deficiencies. Associations typically have limited funds. Even those with ample financial resources are usually governed by Boards whose members are keenly aware of the fact that the Association’s funds are trust monies that need to be carefully managed and…

You hire an architect to prepare plans for the construction of a new home and a developer to execute those plans and physically construct the home. The plans require the testing of the underlying soil to confirm that the bearing capacity of the soil is adequate to support the weight of the structure. The builder, despite being contractually obligated to build the home in accordance with the plans and specifications, does not test the soil.

As a result, after the structure is erected, you notice substantial cracking and differential settlement throughout the house. The builder assures you this is just “a normal part of the settling process.” You later find out that a substantial portion of the house was constructed on soil with a bearing capacity that is considerably less than what is required, and the house is slowly sliding down a hill and uninhabitable. You bring suit against the developer for breach of contract. Can you also claim a violation of the Consumer Fraud Act and seek triple damages and attorneys’ fees?…

Continue Reading Triggering the Protections of the Consumer Fraud Act with Breach of Contract

Generally speaking, a contractor’s commercial general liability (“CGL”) policy is designed to cover personal injury or property damage caused by an accident resulting from the contractor’s work. The policy is not meant to be a guarantee of the contractor’s work and therefore does not cover damages to the work itself – instead, these are known as “business risk” damages. The concept that is inherent in every agreement for the performance of construction work is the risk that the work will be done improperly.

By selecting a particular contractor, the owner has to make a business judgment as to the qualifications and reliability of the selected contractor, and therefore assumes the risk that the work will be done incorrectly. If the work is done improperly and needs to be corrected, the contractor, and ultimately the owner, bears the burden of repairing or fixing that faulty work. The contractor’s insurance is not a performance bond guaranteeing the work; instead, the commercial general liability insurance is designed to cover any unexpected damages that arise from the contractor’s work, such as damage to other property caused by the faulty work.

Consider a roofer hired to install a new roof on a building. Once completed, the roof is the roofing contractor’s “work.” If the roofer installs the wrong type of shingles, but does everything else correctly, the only “damage” to speak of would be to the roof shingles themselves, i.e. the roofer’s work. The cost of replacing the shingles is therefore that “business risk” not covered by insurance.…

Continue Reading Insurers of General Contractors Can No Longer Hide Behind Business Risk in Refusing to Defend Their Insureds in Construction Defect Litigation

A New Jersey trial court granted summary judgment in favor of Selective Insurance Company holding that the “continuous trigger” theory does not provide insurance coverage subsequent to the manifestation of damages that arose from a subcontractor’s negligence in the construction of a condominium development. The issue arose in the matter of Cypress Point Condominium Association v. Selective Way Insurance Company, et al., Docket No. HUD-L-936-14, 2015 N.J. Super. Unpub. LEXIS 721 (N.J. Super., Hudson Cnty. Mar. 30, 2015) (“Cypress Point”).

“The ‘continuous trigger’ theory holds that an occurrence occurs under an insurance policy each time damage accrues over a continuous period of time, from ‘exposure to manifestation’.” Cypress Point, at *12. Courts developed the “continuous trigger” theory to counter scientific uncertainties surrounding initial manifestations of damages typically at issue in environmental, toxic tort, and delay manifestation property damage claims. Id.

In Cypress Point, the Cypress Point Condominium Association (the “Association”) filed a Declaratory Judgment Action against Selective Way Insurance Company (“Selective”) seeking a declaratory judgment that Selective owed a duty to indemnify its insured, MDNA Framing, in connection with an underlying construction defect action filed by the Association. The Association filed an amended complaint in the underlying action on June 12, 2012, bringing claims against MDNA Framing, which was contracted to perform framing and window installation work in connection with the construction of the Cypress Point condominium development. Construction of the development commenced in 2002 and was substantially completed in 2004. Subsequent to the completion of construction, unit owners began to experience water infiltration around the interior windows. The Association’s liability expert found numerous defects related to MDNA Framing’s work, including missing flashings, a lack of a continuous water management system, and improper sealant application around the windows. The Association’s liability expert issued his initial report opining on these deficiencies on June 30, 2012.…

Continue Reading The “Continuous Trigger” Theory and Construction Defect Actions: Cypress Point Condominium Association v. Selective Way Insurance Co.

Purchasing a new construction home is an exciting endeavor. Once all the design options and custom changes are finalized, the wait begins. While all builders discourage purchasers from visiting the construction site, most builders will accommodate requests for walkthroughs. It is always a good idea, however, to try and include a provision in the sale…

Unitowners in condominium associations and homeowners in homeowner associations are often confused about the legal responsibilities of design professionals, general contractors, subcontractors and municipal building officials and building inspectors regarding construction of their homes. This blog is intended to briefly clarify and explain the relationship among these various people and entities.

Architects are licensed professionals who design buildings to meet the needs of the owner. They are required to adhere to all applicable building codes and standards in the industry. To that end the architect creates construction drawings, details, and specifications to direct the subcontractors as to the materials or systems they are to use and how those materials and systems are to be integrated into the overall construction in such a manner as to satisfy the design intent of the architect. Architects have to have an overall understanding of the systems and materials being designed into a building and the requirements of the applicable building codes governing construction. The scope of work of the architect varies from job to job and is typically defined by the contract signed by the architect. For example, the scope of work could be as narrow as being hired by builders to simply produce a set of construction drawings that can be used by the builder to obtain a building permit. After that, the architect has no further involvement. At the other end of the spectrum, the architect is involved in reviewing and approving submittals of materials the builder or subcontractors want to use on the project, reviewing contractor applications for payment of invoices, and even reviewing work done by the general contractor/subcontractors in the field for compliance with the plans, manufacturer’s installation specifications, and details.

The Building Department of the municipality is responsible for protecting life and safety. They review the architectural and other construction drawings for compliance with building codes prior to issuing a building permit. They review things like the height of the building, square footage, intended occupancy, fire ratings, seismic requirements, and other considerations with an eye towards keeping the public safe. Once construction is under way, the building inspectors visit the site to check to see if the building is being built per the codes and approved plans. When construction defects are discovered and damage is found, many homeowners and condominium unit owners want to know why the building inspector and township are not responsible. While they may have some moral responsibility, the law of New Jersey gives them a qualified immunity from liability for negligence in doing building inspections. In the absence of fraud (ie, taking bribes), the building inspectors and the municipalities are immune from civil liability. This immunity was presumably granted by the legislature to prevent every municipality in New Jersey from being bankrupted by construction defect cases.…

Continue Reading Understanding the Relationship Between the Architect, General Contractor, Subcontractors and Building Inspector for Construction Defects

On January 7, 2015, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) ordered that six putative class-action lawsuits stemming from Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, North Carolina and Ohio will be venued and centralized in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.
Continue Reading Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation Assigns Multiple Putative Class-Action Suits Over Faulty Outdoor Decking to US District Court