Court Bars Licensed Contractor From Seeking Compensation for Work Performed by Unlicensed Sub

It all started with a tree. A eucalyptus tree to be exact. What followed is one of the more important cases to be decided under Business…

Weed Property Owner Gets Smoked Under Insurance Policy

When’s the last time you read your homeowner’s insurance policy? Didn’t think so. But you might consider doing so, particularly in light of all of the…

A Riveting (or at Least Insightful) Explanation of the Privette Doctrine

“The wheels of justice turn slowly, but grind exceedingly fine” – Plutarch And grind they do . . . slowly. For long time readers of the…

Biden Administration Issues Buy America Guidance for Federal Infrastructure Funds

As you know, late this past year Congress passed and President Biden signed the largest infrastructure bill since President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “New Deal” in 1933.…

Contractor Gets Benched After Failing to Pay Jury Fees

Trial by jury is a fundamental right under the U.S. and California Constitutions. However, to avail yourself of this right, you not only have to declare…

Just Because You Allege There Was an Oral Contract Doesn’t Mean You’re Off the Hook for Attorneys’ Fees if you Lose

There’s certain things in life you shouldn’t mix. Like drinking and driving. Bleach and ammonia. Triple dog dares and frozen poles. And angry lawyers and litigation. …

Insurers Can Sue One Another for Defense Costs on Equitable Indemnity and Equitable Contribution Basis

Since I don’t do insurance defense work, fights between insurers isn’t something I have to deal with. It’s good sport nonetheless. In the next case, Travelers…

Thank You!

I would like to thank the Construction Law Subsection of the Los Angeles County Bar Association for awarding me today (on 2/22/22 nonetheless) the 2022 James…

Business and Professions Code Section 7031, Demurrers, and Just How Much You Can Dance

Fights between owners and contractors under Business and Professions Code section 7031 can get nasty and detailed. An owner’s remedy under Section 7031, as courts have…

OSHA Withdraws COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard Applicable to Private Employers with More than 100 Employees

And . . . it looks like we’re at the end of the line for the U.S. Occupational and Health Administration’s (OSHA) COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard…

Tsunamis, Synagogues, Storms and Stays

It was a newsworthy weekend. A volcano eruption off the coast of Tonga causing tsunami warnings as far west as California and as far east as…

2022 Construction Outlook: Continuing Growth But at Slower Pace

In the midst of a pandemic that has lasted far longer than I think many of us thought it would, it’s been a study in contrasts:…