Mandatory forum (venue) selection provisions are generally construed in favor of enforceability. Parties agreed to the forum for disputes so why not enforce them, right? A recent federal district court case out of the Eastern District of Louisiana exemplifies an
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CONTRACT SHOULD HAVE CLEAR AND DEFINITE TERMS TO AVOID A PATENT AMBIGUITY
If you need more of a reason to have contracts with clear and definite terms, this case is it. This case exemplifies what can happen if the contract, not only does not have clear and definite terms, but contains a…
UNJUST ENRICHMENT CLAIMS WHEN THERE IS NO BINDING CONTRACT
A recent appellate opinion starts off, “This is a typical South Florida construction dispute.” (See case citation at the bottom) Let’s see, is it? No. It’s a garden variety payment dispute where the parties did NOT have a binding contract.…
COURT STRIKES EXPERT OPINION THAT SURETY ACTED AS A “DE FACTO CONTRACTOR”
Designating and admitting experts is a vital component of any construction dispute. Many construction disputes require experts. Many construction disputes can only be won with the role of an expert. Thus, experts and construction disputes go hand-in-hand. No doubt about…
DENIAL OF MOTION TO DISSOLVE LIS PENDENS DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY CREATE BASIS FOR CERTIORARI RELIEF
A recent appellate decision out of Florida’s Sixth District Court of Appeal holds that a trial court’s denial of motion to dissolve a lis pendens does NOT automatically give a basis for a petition for a writ of certiorari. Generalized…
QUICK NOTE: OCTOBER 1, 2023 CHANGES TO FLORIDA’S CONSTRUCTION STATUTES
Effective October 1, 2023, there were changes to Florida’s statutory scheme dealing with construction projects. This includes Florida’s Lien Law. A copy of these changes can be found below which identify additions in blue and deletions with strikethroughs. No different…
RES JUDICATA NOT APPLY TO BAR OVERLAPPING DAMAGES IN SEPARATE SUITS AGAINST CONTRACTOR AND SUBCONTRACTOR
Can the doctrine of res judicata bar an owner’s claim against the general contractor after the owner also sued and obtained a satisfied judgment against the subcontractor when there are identical, overlapping damages pursued in separate lawsuits. A recent case…
BE STRATEGIC WHEN SUING A MANUFACTURER UNDER A WARRANTY WITH AN ARBITRATION PROVISION
I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: arbitration is a creature of contract. If you don’t want to arbitrate, don’t agree to an arbitration provision as the means to resolve your dispute. Now, with that said, there are…
CHECK THE BOXES REGARDING CONTRACTUAL CONDITIONS PRECEDENT TO PAYMENT
Remember this: complying with contractual conditions precedent to payment is important. There is a reason why construction contracts include contractual conditions precedent to payment. The contract does not include this language for sh*ts and giggles. This language is included to…
IMPROPER MEANS EXCEPTION AND TORTIOUS INTERFERENCE CLAIMS
Last week, I discussed a case (here) that involved a federal district court (trial court) denying a motion to dismiss on a negligent supervision claim.
In this same case, the plaintiff, a subcontractor/fabricator, also sued the defendants–parent company…