Pacta sunt servanda, i.e., agreements must be kept. This applies in both good economies and bad. Companies considering a modification of their business operations to offset lower revenue must be mindful of existing commercial contracts. Implicit in almost every New York agreement is a covenant of good faith and fair dealing in the course of performance. Output and requirements contracts are an exception, however. With an output contract, the parties agree that the seller will…

Construction Law Zone

Robinson+Cole Hosts Roundtable on Diversity & Inclusion

By Lisa Andrzejewski & Choity Khan

October 13, 2020

Robinson+Cole’s Construction Law Group hosted its first industry-wide, virtual roundtable on the topic of diversity and inclusion (“D&I”) on September 17, 2020. The program grew out of an earlier Roundtable conversation and focused specifically on strategies and techniques to promote diversity and inclusion in the construction industry. Recognized diversity & inclusion program leaders across the northeast area from government agencies, construction industry organizations, contractor and sub-contractor firms, suppliers, and architectural and engineering firms joined the…

Construction Law Zone

Finding Synchronicity Between Governor Cuomo’s New Cluster Action Initiative and the NYC DOB’s Corresponding Requirements

By Virginia Trunkes

October 8, 2020

Synchronicity A connecting principle, Linked to the invisible Almost imperceptible Something inexpressible. Science insusceptible Logic so inflexible Causally connectable Nothing is invincible. “The Police”, 1983. This week, in response to the emergence of COVID-19 hot spots in downstate New York, Governor Cuomo instituted a new “cluster action initiative” to “crush” the clusters and contain the spread. New rules and restrictions, to be “in effect for a minimum of 14 days”, are designed to…

Construction Law Zone

Guidance on Using Drones for Real Estate and Construction in Dense Cities: How Much Does the Public Value Privacy? (Part II)

By Guest Contributor

October 7, 2020

As our previous post stated, the commercial use of drones, or small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS), for urban real estate and construction has gained some traction with the passage of the New York City Council’s bill requiring the Department of Buildings (DOB) to study the feasibility of using sUAS to inspect building facades. With this new bill, as well as other metropolitan cities surely following suit, one of the biggest issues on the forefront for…

Construction Law Zone

Singapore Company Introduces Drones to Urban Building Inspection

By Guest Contributor

October 2, 2020

Singapore analytics and acoustic solutions company H3 Zoom.AI’s founder, Shaun Koo, began using drones for building inspection and facilities management after realizing that the city’s highly urban landscape was “overdue for digital technology disruption.” For example, traditional building facade inspection involves workers tethered to ropes or on gondola lifts, scaling high and/or remote areas to inspect or take photographs. This manual process is risky and allows room for human error. Instead, Koo suggested equipping drones…

Construction Law Zone

Guidance on Using Drones for Real Estate and Construction in Dense Cities: Getting Close – But Not Too Close (Part I)

By Virginia Trunkes

September 29, 2020

The commercial use of drones, or small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS), for urban real estate and construction may finally be gaining traction. This month, the New York City Council passed a bill requiring the Department of Buildings (DOB) to study the feasibility of using sUAS to inspect building facades.…

Construction Law Zone

Note to “Additional Insureds” Relying on Builders’ Risk Insurance: Federal Court Decision Evaluates Extent of Coverage

By Ken Sherman

September 9, 2020

The United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts has provided construction project owners, developers, general contractors, sub-contractors, suppliers, and vendors with a helpful reminder about obtaining effective additional insurance coverage on construction projects. In Factory Mut. Ins. Co. v. Skanska United States Bldg., No. 18-cv-11700-DLC, 2020. U.S. Dist. LEXIS 95403, the District Court held that a construction project’s general contractor and sub-contractor were not additional insureds under the construction project’s owner’s Builders Risk…

Construction Law Zone

AIHA Releases COVID-19 Guidelines for Construction Industry

By Guest Contributor

August 31, 2020

This post was authored by Jonathan Schaefer, who is a member of Robinson+Cole’s Environmental, Energy + Telecommunications Group. Jon focuses his practice on environmental compliance counseling, occupational health and safety, permitting, site remediation, and litigation related to federal and state regulatory programs. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began affecting jobsites in the U.S., the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has released, and revised, COVID-19-related workplace guidance several times (see, Additional OSHA Guidance on COVID-19…

Construction Law Zone

Governor Lamont Issues Executive Order Allowing Pandemic Workers Easier Access to Workers’ Compensation Benefits

By Choity Khan

July 31, 2020

On July 24th, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont signed Executive Order No. 7JJJ, which creates a rebuttable presumption that all employees who worked on site and tested positive for COVID-19 during the first three months of the pandemic contracted the disease while on the job, giving employees a presumptive claim to workers’ compensation coverage. Connecticut follows suit with states such as Arkansas and California in taking executive order action to make it easier for pandemic workers…

Construction Law Zone

Robinson+Cole Hosts Fourth Construction Industry Roundtable

By Robinson+Cole's Construction Group

July 17, 2020

Robinson+Cole’s Construction Group hosted its fourth— but first ever virtual — Construction Industry Roundtable on July 14, 2020. Representatives of major design and construction industry organizations and stakeholders in the Northeast were in attendance to discuss the state of the regional market and to look ahead for trends to watch for 2021.…

Construction Law Zone

Current developments and recent trends in all areas of Construction Law

Blog Authors

Repurposing Real Estate Development to Counter Weakened Demand: Know the Risks Before Terminating Contracts

Robinson+Cole Hosts Roundtable on Diversity & Inclusion

Finding Synchronicity Between Governor Cuomo’s New Cluster Action Initiative and the NYC DOB’s Corresponding Requirements

Guidance on Using Drones for Real Estate and Construction in Dense Cities: How Much Does the Public Value Privacy? (Part II)

Singapore Company Introduces Drones to Urban Building Inspection

Guidance on Using Drones for Real Estate and Construction in Dense Cities: Getting Close – But Not Too Close (Part I)

Note to “Additional Insureds” Relying on Builders’ Risk Insurance: Federal Court Decision Evaluates Extent of Coverage

AIHA Releases COVID-19 Guidelines for Construction Industry

Governor Lamont Issues Executive Order Allowing Pandemic Workers Easier Access to Workers’ Compensation Benefits

Robinson+Cole Hosts Fourth Construction Industry Roundtable

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