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Section 179D of the Internal Revenue Code, first enacted in 2006, grants qualifying building owners or tenants of commercial buildings a federal tax deduction for the installation of energy-efficient features and systems in existing or new-build projects. The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (“IRA”)...
"Solar energy construction has increased significantly in recent years across the United States, with some forecasters expecting another rise of at least 75% for 2024. This growth in solar projects results in good measure from existing and additional tax credits continued and implemented through the...
On November 30, 2023, the Illinois Supreme Court issued a decision in the case of Acuity v. M/I Homes of Chicago, LLC, et al., 2023 IL 129087 with significant implications for insurance coverage of construction defects under commercial general liability (CGL) policies.
A recent Maryland appellate decision arising from an insurance company’s exercise of subrogation rights against negligent subcontractors in connection with tornado damage to a warehouse illustrates the pitfalls of waiver of subrogation clauses in construction contracts. In XL Insurance America, Inc...
Florida’s lien law is once again under construction with significant changes which went into effect on October 1, 2023. The amendments impact various aspects of lien rights, notice requirements, bond amounts, and attorney fee recovery. Key Provisions and Implications Lien Rights Extended to...
The work of subcontractors is largely guided by the written contracts to which they agree, making those contracts important to their company’s success. Ideally, contracts should be balanced, and they should allocate risk to the party able to control the risk, but that is often not the case. Though...
On May 25, 2023, the Illinois legislature passed HB 2878, a colossal 195-page bill, that impacts numerous public procurement laws, including curbing the percentage of retainage that local governments may withhold from contractors on public construction projects in Illinois. On June 22, 2023, the...
Contractors could start seeing six-figure fines from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in the next few months thanks to sweeping policy changes implemented earlier this year. In a press release and two internal memoranda issued January 26, 2023, the Department of Labor (DOL)...
As construction is truly a team sport, a contractor’s success hinges on the contributions of all team members—the laborers and tradesman, the project managers and office personnel, c-suite executives, and, yes, the company’s lawyer. Too often, however, construction companies turn to counsel as a...
A recent decision resolving a dispute arising from pre-pandemic supply chain issues that delayed construction of a wind farm in Illinois illustrates the ever-present risks posed by supply chain disruptions and provides a sobering demonstration of how liability for these risks can be shifted by...
A federal jury in the Northern District of Illinois recently awarded nearly $23 million to the developer of a luxury hotel in Chicago’s trendy West Loop arising from multiple breaches of contract and fraud by its design-builder. What is particularly striking about the judgment in NHC LLC v. Centaur...
During the 2022 legislative session, the Virginia General Assembly passed Senate Bill 550 (“SB 550”), which Virginia Governor Youngkin signed into law. SB 550 amends a portion of the Virginia Prompt Payment Act and a component of the Virginia wage theft statute, prohibiting “pay-if-paid” clauses in...
The CFPB is now ready to directly regulate the purveyors of digital consumer marketing. The CFPB new rule clarifies when digital marketers and financial products sellers are subject to consumer protection regulations. Digital marketers that are "materially involved" in the development of content...
A Delaware trial court, applying New Jersey and Delaware law, recently ruled that a general contractor, despite not being a party to either a loan agreement or loan commitment, could successfully recover damages from a construction lender. See BCD Assocs., LLC v. Crown Bank, No. CV N15C-11-062 EMD...
Case: Bain v. Airoom, LLC, 2022 IL App (1st) 211001 A recent Illinois appellate decision warns that overbroad form arbitration agreements in construction contracts may be unenforceable.
On June 10, 2022, Governor J.B. Pritzker signed into law two related bills, HB 5412 and HB 4600, sent to him the previous month by the Illinois legislature that will hold a primary contractor (one who has a contract with an owner) liable for the unpaid wages and other amounts owed to employees of...
In this article, Bill Warren, a partner in the Firm's Government Contracts Practice, describes the current PA municipal policies applied in assessing building permit fees on public projects undertaken by school districts, counties and other public entities and the recommended approach to challenging...