WILLITS CALIFORNIA CONSTRUCTION EXPERT WITNESS
DIRECTORY AND CAPABILITIES

Colorado Legislature Considers Series of Bills Aimed at Boosting Affordable Housing Construction in Colorado — What Homebuilders Need to Know

April 08, 2026 — Amanda E. McKinlay - Snell & Wilmer
On January 21, 2026, lawmakers introduced a series of bills with the goals of addressing affordable housing issues and incentivizing construction in Colorado. House Bill 26-1001 (known as the “Housing Opportunities Made Easier ‘HOME’ Act”) concerns the promotion for residential developments on “qualifying properties” that do not contain exempt parcels through the bypassing of often time-consuming local planning processes. Under HB26-1001, a “qualifying property is any real property that contains no more than five acres of land and is owned by: (i) a nonprofit organization with a demonstrated history of providing affordable housing; (ii) a nonprofit organization that provides public transit; (iii) a nonprofit organization that has entered into an agreement with another nonprofit organization with a demonstrated history of providing affordable housing, provided that the agreement requires the nonprofit organization with a demonstrated history of providing affordable housing to develop a residential development on the property; (iv) a school district; (v) a state college or university; (vi) a housing authority; or (vii) a local or regional transit district or a regional transportation authority serving one or more counties. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Amanda E. McKinlay, Snell & Wilmer
Ms. McKinlay may be contacted at amckinlay@swlaw.com

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Builders Oppose Senate Housing Bill Over Investor Ban Provision

March 24, 2026 — Katy O'Donnell - Bloomberg
A powerful group representing the nation’s home builders is coming out against the most significant housing legislation in more than a decade over a provision negotiated by the White House that would restrict institutional investors from purchasing single-family homes. The builders’ objection could imperil the bill’s chances of becoming law, even as leaders of both parties are desperate to show they are doing something to alleviate voters’ cost-of-living concerns. The Senate voted 90-8 to clear a procedural hurdle for the bill on Wednesday, with a vote on final passage expected early next week. The inclusion of the investor ban in a broader housing bill was key to getting the White House on board, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott, a Republican from South Carolina, told reporters Tuesday. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Katy O'Donnell, Bloomberg

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Maryland Enacts Climate-Cost Study Over Veto, New Jersey Advances Climate Superfund Proposal as Earlier State Laws Face Ongoing Court Challenges

January 21, 2026 — Amanda G. Halter, Ashleigh Myers & Jillian Marullo - Gravel2Gavel Construction & Real Estate Law Blog
Maryland lawmakers have overridden the governor’s veto to enact legislation directing a statewide assessment of climate-related costs, while New Jersey lawmakers are preparing a January committee hearing for the State’s pending Climate Superfund Act. Together, these actions underscore continued state-level interest in both study-based and liability-focused climate-cost attribution frameworks, even as four separate lawsuits challenging state climate superfund statutes in New York and Vermont proceed in federal court. Maryland Legislature Overrides Veto to Advance Climate-Cost Assessment On December 16, the Maryland General Assembly voted to override Governor Wes Moore’s veto of S.B. 149 / H.B. 128, the “Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation – Total Assessed Cost of Greenhouse Gas Emissions – Study and Reports” Act. The vote followed the Governor’s announcement, just days earlier, that his administration would fully fund the study mandated by the bill, effectively reversing his prior veto. Reprinted courtesy of Amanda G. Halter, Pillsbury, Ashleigh Myers, Pillsbury and Jillian Marullo, Pillsbury Ms. Halter may be contacted at amanda.halter@pillsburylaw.com Ms. Myers may be contacted at ashleigh.myers@pillsburylaw.com Ms. Marullo may be contacted at jillian.marullo@pillsburylaw.com Read the full story...

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Always Keep Your Time Limits in Mind—to Know When You Can Sue, and When You Can No Longer Be Sued (Law Note)

December 15, 2025 — Melissa Dewey Brumback - Construction Law in North Carolina
As the calendar year is getting a little long in the tooth, the subject of time becomes top of mind. Time, in litigation, can make or break your ability to sue (or be sued). A recent blog post by blogger John Caravella addressing statutes of limitations in New York (6 years) and Florida (5 years) brought to mind the issues that sometimes surprise folks working in North Carolina. In North Carolina, the statute of limitations is (generally) set at 3 years for breach of contract matter, including breaches of construction contracts. However, there are always exceptions. The statute of repose in North Carolina for damages to real property is 6 years. What that means is that if there is a ‘latent defect’ that is not obvious right away, you may still have a claim beyond three years (but not beyond the 6 year repose limit). Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Melissa Dewey Brumback, Ragsdale Liggett
Ms. Brumback may be contacted at mbrumback@rl-law.com

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Court Rules Cook County Misspent $243M in Transportation Funds

March 10, 2026 — Annemarie Mannion - Engineering News-Record
A Cook County Illinois Circuit Court judge has ruled that the county violated the state constitution by using $243 million in transportation tax revenue during fiscal 2023 for non-transportation purposes, handing a legal win to a statewide coalition of construction trade groups. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Annemarie Mannion, Engineering News-Record
Ms. Mannion may be contacted at manniona@enr.com

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BWB&O’s LA Team Secures a Defense Victory for General Contractor Client in Riverside Superior Court!

January 13, 2026 — Dolores Montoya - Bremer Whyte Brown & O'Meara LLP
Congratulations to Woodland Hills Partner Daniel Crespo and Associate Lauren Landau for securing a defense victory on behalf of one of our general contractor clients! The Riverside Superior Court granted summary judgment in favor of our client, finding the plaintiff’s core allegation was flatly contradicted by video evidence. The Court held that surveillance footage conclusively showed the minor did not fall into an “open trench” as alleged, but instead fell after voluntarily jumping over a temporary construction fence stabilizer. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Dolores Montoya, Bremer Whyte Brown & O'Meara LLP

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Cross-Office Team Secures Summary Judgment Win in Negligence Action with $2M Demand

December 02, 2025 — Lewis Brisbois Newsroom
St. Louis, Mo. (October 15, 2025) - St. Louis Managing Partner Tracy Cowan and Kansas City Partner Jonathan Craig secured a summary judgment win in a Missouri negligence action with a $2 million demand. The plaintiff alleged he fell on uncleared ice on the client hotel’s parking lot and sustained a shoulder injury that required significant surgical intervention and loss of use. The Lewis Brisbois team’s aggressive discovery revealed that there was significantly more to the story, including that the plaintiff had made several trips back and forth on the hotel’s allegedly icy parking lot prior to injuring himself. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Lewis Brisbois

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Suffolk and MassDOT Texts Played Role in State Contract Rebid Controversy

November 18, 2025 — Richard Korman - Engineering News-Record
Two of the controversial text messages were sent on Dec. 10. John Fish, CEO of Suffolk Construction Co., sent one early to Scott Bosworth, chief development officer for the Massachusetts Dept. of Transportation, about a problem with the Oyster Harbors Bridge near the Oyster Harbors Club on Cape Cod. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Richard Korman, Engineering News-Record
Mr. Korman may be contacted at kormanr@enr.com

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