IN FEBRUARY AND MARCH 2010, THE SUPERIOR COURT RENDERED TWO INTERESTING DECISIONS IN CASES INVOLVING FIRES. WE WILL REVIEW THESE DECISIONS , WHICH HAVE A NUMBER OF FEATURES IN COMMON, INCLUDING THE CONSIDERABLE SUMS OF MONEY AT STAKE, THE LENGTHY TIME PERIOD BETWEEN THE LOSS AND THE TRIAL, AND THE NUMBER OF PERSONS INVOLVED IN THE CONDUCT OF EACH CASE.THE GOODFELLOW CASE: “THE DORMANT FIRE ”On August 22, 1998, a major fire broke out in Goodfellow Inc ...
In this edition - Corporate Manslaughter Bill Moves Closer to Reality - Are You Relying on Existing Rights of Drainage to Service Your Development? - Does Your Architect Know He is Working for Free? - SDLT on Development Agreements - Equity Share Mortgages - Tree Huggers - Use Classes Order
In this issue: - SDLT – The New Disclosure Rules Implications for Housebuilders - Restrictive Covenants and Implied Terms in Contracts - Can You be Prosecuted for Lust? - Stamp Duty Strife
Key Points California's First District Court of Appeal continued a recent pro-housing trend, reversing a City of San Mateo rejection of a multifamily housing development application. The court determined the denial was based on a subjective design guideline, therefore violating the Housing Accountability Act. Ambiguous guidelines may still be utilized in limited circumstances if there is a long-standing and consistent local government interpretation ...
Understanding the Gen Y mindset is crucial to riding the next wave of property sales. From selfie-taking to social media-(over)sharing, millennials are famous for many traits, but one thing is for sure: compared to the preceding Generation Xers, their love for snapping photos may be real, but their propensity to snap up new homes trails far behind ...
An increasing number of captives have been looking at writing business interruption coverage for their owners. They should tread carefully, as doing so without following the correct procedures could have adverse tax implications. The outbreak of COVID-19 has caught many businesses off guard and in need of cash. Some hope their business interruption insurance policies will provide coverage for a loss of income suffered from a slowdown or suspension of operations ...
The implementation of travel restrictions, lock-downs, stay-at-home orders, and curfews, in an attempt to curtail the spread of the COVID-19 virus, has led to delays in the completion of construction projects. Contractors are thus faced with worrying about the potential implications of such delays ...
Welcome to the first part in our series of articles on the Building Safety Act 2022. The Building Safety Act received Royal Assent on 28 April 2022. While many of the provisions will be implemented over the next 12-18 months, the industry is being urged to get ready now. Dame Judith Hackitt stated in a recent HSE Bulletin: “The clock is now ticking and the pace is accelerating. Change is going to happen this time – there’s no denying it anymore!” ...
Welcome to the second part in our series of articles on the Building Safety Act 2022. In Part 1 of our series of articles on the Building Safety Act 2022 we discussed the greater exposure to claims due to extensions in limitation periods and the measures aimed at addressing failures to remedy historical safety defects. In Part 2, we discuss the dutyholder regime and look at the steps developers can take now to prepare ...
Welcome to the third and final part in our series of articles on the Building Safety Act 2022. In Part 1 of our series of articles on the Building Safety Act 2022 we discussed the greater exposure to claims due to extensions in limitation periods and the measures aimed at addressing failures to remedy historical safety defects. In Part 2, we discussed the dutyholder regime and, in this final part, we look at the new gateway regime for higher risk buildings ...
Commentators and lawyers continue to make blanket statements regarding lack of business interruption coverage for losses caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). They contend that coronavirus-related losses cannot satisfy the “direct physical loss of or damage to [covered] property” language contained in many policies to trigger coverage in the first place ...
Although Hurricane Lane’s substantial weakening from a Category 5 storm as it approached land likely spared Hawaii a disaster, the storm still caused much harm. Areas of the Big Island got inundated with well over three feet of rain, causing landslides and major road closures, and high winds stoked brush fires on Maui, burning 2,300 acres of land, damaging multiple homes, and forcing hundreds of evacuations ...
In Haberdashers’ Aske’s Federation Trust Ltd v Lakehouse Contracts Ltd [2018] EWHC 558 (TCC), England’s Technology and Construction Court had to decide on the extent of coverage (or inclusion) of a project insurance policy for a construction project and how that coverage was affected by a sub-contractor having its own insurance cover ...
When things go wrong in a construction project, multiparty contractual relationships almost inevitably increase the difficulty of achieving a negotiated settlement. On the other hand, the motivations for settlement may remain strong, often in the hope of avoiding significant legal costs, saving time and preserving existing business relationships ...
Levelling up was barely mentioned in the recent “mini budget”, reports say barely any of the levelling up funds have actually been spent and figures show that since the first time then PM Boris Johnson uttered those two words “levelling up” in 2020, our regional cities continue to lag behind the capital. Investment is 23% lower, take up 12% lower and average rents a whopping 54% lower ...
The deadline for meeting the previously issued nursing home compliance mandate is approaching. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the mandate in 2016 and gave facilities three years to become compliant. On November 28, 2019, skilled nursing facilities (SNF) and nursing homes will be required to adopt and implement a compliance program as a condition for participation in Medicare and Medicaid ...
A party making a claim bears the burden of proof, meaning that it is responsible for proving its claim. In civil disputes (as opposed to criminal matters) a claim generally must be proven ‘on the balance of probabilities’ if it is to be successful. How is this achieved? The answer is that the claimant must present sufficient evidence to persuade the decision maker that its case is more probable than not ...
The HSE has prosecuted a contractor after it identified multiple health and safety issues during a COVID-19 ‘spot check’ at a site in Manchester. This is the first prosecution to arise from the HSE’s Spot Check programme. Background Throughout the pandemic, HSE inspectors performed a number of proactive COVID-19 spot checks (reportedly over 316,000) at construction sites across the UK ...
On Sept. 3, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued its final rule on the implementation of the Fair Housing Act’s disparate impact standard. The Fair Housing Act (FHA) prohibits discrimination in many housing-related activities on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, and national origin ...
In a recent article published in Risk & Insurance, WSG Member Andrea DeField, Partner at Hunton Andrews Kurth, provides insight on cyber captive options for businesses to manage growing cyber threats and exposure, as cyber coverage terms are tightening and policy rates continue to increase. Cyber Captives 101: Is Self-Insuring the Right Risk Mitigation Choice for Your Business? Cyber coverage is tightening ...
The top three most read articles for the month were: Policyholders Pump Out Another COVID-19 Litigation VictoryA Pennsylvania trial court denied an insurer’s early attempt to lunge out of coverage for COVID-19 business interruption losses suffered by a fitness center, stating it would be premature for the court to resolve factual determinations the insurer raised in its demurrer. Ridley Park Fitness, LLC v. Philadelphia Indemnity Insurance Co., No ...
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