Introduction. The Texas Supreme Court (SCOTX), in Signature Indus. Services, LLC (SIS) v. Int’l Paper Co. (IP), reduced the $59.1 million jury award to just under $1.8 million. [638 S.W.3d 179, 186 (Tex. 2022)]. The jury’s verdict was largely based upon consequential damages sustained by SIS as a result of
Construction Industry
Court Denies Architects’ and Engineer’s Motion to Dismiss Property Owner’s Construction Defect Lawsuit
Introduction. A property owner must file a certificate of merit with its construction defect lawsuit based upon errors or omissions committed by architects or engineers. The failure to do so as required by Chapter 150 of the Texas Civil Practices & Remedies Code will result in dismissal of the lawsuit. In Res. Planning Associates…
SCOTX Upholds Jury Verdict Favoring Workers Injured by Live Power Line above Owner’s Property
The Los Compadres case, decided by the Supreme Court of TX (SCOTX), addresses Chapter 95 of the Texas Civil Practices & Remedies Code. This important statute sets the minimum criteria that must be met to hold a property owner liable for injuries sustained by a contractor’s employee performing construction work on the property owner’s premises.…
City not Immune from Contractor’s Lawsuit for Unpaid Grading Work
Introduction. Doing business with a governmental entity can be tricky business because of the doctrine of governmental immunity. If this doctrine applies, the governmental entity may escape liability for harm it causes to others. Recently, the City of Carrolton filed a plea to the jurisdiction claiming that it was immune from a lawsuit filed…
The Supreme Court of Texas Upholds Trial Court’s Summary Judgment in Favor of Contractor Sued by School District for Installation of Defective Artificial Turf
Introduction. A couple of years ago this blog discussed the construction defect case, Pleasant Grove Indep. Sch. Dist. v. FieldTurf USA, Inc., in which the Pleasant Grove Independent School District sued its general contractor, Altech, Inc., and the manufacturer, FieldTurf USA, Inc., in connection with the installation of a defective artificial turf system as…
TXDOT Contractor Shielded by Statutory Immunity Against Personal Injury Claim arising out of Constructed Overpass
In this case of first impression, the El Paso court of Appeals held that the contractor, who built an overpass under contract with the Texas Department of Transportation (“TXDOT”), was immune from liability for injuries sustained by plaintiff when he fell from an overpass. A.S. Horner, Inc. v. Navarrette, No. 08-18-00044-CV, 2021…
Homebuyers Waived their Contractual Rights to Complain about Defects in Home they Purchased
As you probably have read or heard in the news, we currently are in a seller’s residential real estate market. There is often a bidding frenzy over a home as soon as it is listed, and buyers frequently waive provisions in the standard real estate form contract hoping that their bid will be accepted. The…
Utility Company Not Liable to Landowner for Injuries Allegedly Caused by Hole from Removal of Utility Pole
The summary judgment personal injury case of AEP Tex. Cent. Co. v. Arredondo, 612 S.W.3d 289 (Tex. 2020) addressed in my previous blog article (previous article) made its way to the Supreme Court of Texas (SCOTX). This case involved injuries to a landowner who stepped into a hole allegedly created when the…
Amputee’s Personal Injury Claim Barred by Workers Compensation Exclusive Remedy Defense
An injured employee’s exclusive remedy for injuries sustained on the job is to recover workers compensation benefits, except when the employer intentionally causes the injuries. Berkel & Co. Contractors, Inc. v. Lee, 612 S.W.3d 280 (Tex. 2020). This SCOTX case shows how exceedingly difficult it is to prove this exception.
This case involved a…
General Contractor’s Breach of Contract Verdict Overturned for Failure to Give Contractual Termination Notice
Introduction. In Chambers County v. Pelco Construction Co., the general contractor unilaterally terminated its contract after the project owner stopped work for 40 days. No. 01-18-00832-CV, 2020 WL 7776078, at *1 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] Dec. 31, 2020, no pet. h.). The general contractor made payment demands upon the owner for work performed…