LEWIS COUNTY IDAHO CONSTRUCTION EXPERT WITNESS
DIRECTORY AND CAPABILITIES

Chambers USA Recognizes GRSM as 2026 Industry Leader

June 29, 2026 — Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani
Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani has once again been recognized by Chambers USA, a prestigious directory of the country’s top law firms. In addition to the firm’s practice recognitions, eight partners, David Capell, Nancy Erfle, Matthew Foy, Ashlee Grant, Craig Heryford, Andrew Port, Todd Regan, and Angela Richie, were recognized among the nation’s top lawyers in their respective fields. Chambers USA recognized the firm in the following eight categories: USA – Nationwide – Insurance: Dispute Resolution: Insurer, Band 4 The firm is widely sought after by national insurance sector clients facing a wide array of coverage disputes as well as bad faith claims. The firm has additional capabilities in class actions and appellate litigation. Its broad base of experience includes professional liability, construction, and bankruptcy-related issues. This is the third year the firm has received this recognition. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani

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AI Adoption in Construction: A UK Practitioner’s View

April 20, 2026 — Aarni Heiskanen - AEC Business
I recently talked with Chris Brady, an AI adoption consultant based in Birmingham, UK, who has spent 18 years working in construction. Two years ago, he began integrating AI into his work with contractors and SMEs, initially as an add-on service, and it has since become his main business. Chris now runs Metrix, an AI consultancy focused on UK construction companies, alongside two other ventures: Trade Upskill, an education platform for construction professionals, and ctrldash.ai, a compliance-automation SaaS for construction SMEs, both of which are soon to launch. What struck me most in our conversation was how grounded his approach is, built on years of direct industry experience rather than arriving from outside with a technology solution looking for a problem. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Aarni Heiskanen, AEC Business
Mr. Heiskanen may be contacted at aec-business@aepartners.fi

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No Bad Faith Despite Insurer’s Appraisal Award Exceeding Initial Payment

August 03, 2026 — Tred R. Eyerly - Insurance Law Hawaii
The federal district court granted the insurer’s motion for summary judgment, finding no bad faith despite the appraisal award exceeding the amount the insurer initially paid. Jazi Kat 4659 Rockridge LLC, et al. v. Travelers Cas. Ins. Co. of Am., et al., 2026 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 105634 (D. Ariz. May 13, 2026). Plaintiffs sued Travelers for breach of contract and bad faith, alleging that Travelers failed to pay money plaintiffs were owed under the policy. Plaintiffs held a commercial property policy for two properties. A fire destroyed one of the properties. Travelers adjusted the claim and issued two payments. Plaintiffs disagreed with the amount of the payments and demanded an appraisal. Travelers agreed to the appraisal. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Tred R. Eyerly, Damon Key Leong Kupchak Hastert
Mr. Eyerly may be contacted at te@hawaiilawyer.com

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Nordics Are Europe’s Next Data Center Hub

October 05, 2026 — Aarni Heiskanen - AEC Business
On September 9, 2026, Google announced its largest single investment in Europe. The company commits at least €13 billion to Finnish data centers and energy infrastructure in 2027 and 2028, expanding the existing Hamina campus and adding three new sites in Kajaani, Muhos, and Vaala. For the construction sector, this is great news: thousands of hectares, dozens of buildings, and a construction program that will extend well beyond the two-year investment window. Four Sites, One Regional Cluster Google is not a newcomer in Finland. Back in 2009, it converted a former paper mill in Hamina into a seawater-cooled data center. It has invested around €4.5 billion there over 15 years, and the site’s waste heat already feeds Hamina’s district heating network. The new program shifts the center of gravity north, to the border of North Ostrobothnia and Kainuu. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Aarni Heiskanen, AEC Business
Mr. Heiskanen may be contacted at aec-business@aepartners.fi

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Oracle's $16B Michigan Data Center Secures Financing as Power Contracts Face Appeals

June 08, 2026 — Bryan Gottlieb - Engineering News-Record
A $16 billion hyperscale data center under construction outside Ann Arbor, Mich., has secured financing backed by Blackstone and other institutional investors, even as the project's power supply agreements now face a legal challenge before the Michigan Court of Appeals. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Bryan Gottlieb, Engineering News-Record
Mr. Gottlieb may be contacted at gottliebb@enr.com

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4th Department Narrowly Interprets Professional Services

August 11, 2026 — Craig Rokuson - Traub Lieberman
In the recent case of Cty. of Erie v. Selective Ins. Co. of Am., 2026 NY Slip Op 04092 (App. Div. 4th Dept.), New York’s Appellate Division, Fourth Department held that a general liability carrier for a construction manager owed additional insured coverage to the County of Erie, notwithstanding an exclusion in the construction manager’s policy for injuries arising out of professional services. The underlying case involved injuries sustained when the underlying plaintiff fell off of her bicycle at a park owned by the County when she transitioned from the pavement edge to grass. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Craig Rokuson, Traub Lieberman
Mr. Rokuson may be contacted at crokuson@tlsslaw.com

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Only A Contractor Can Appeal a Contracting Officer’s Final Decision

April 20, 2026 — David Adelstein - Florida Construction Legal Updates
A recent decision from the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals confirms that “only a ‘contractor’ may file an appeal of a contracting officer’s final decision.” Wattiker v. General Services Administration, 2026 WL 846001 (CBCA 2026) (citation omitted). The term “contractor is not an ambiguous term. A ‘contractor’ refers to a party to a federal government contract. Wattiker (citing the Contract Disputes Act). This is why the Contract Disputes Act does not apply to parties that are NOT in contract with the federal government. Id. In Wattiker, an appellant (appealing party) challenged the dismissal of a co-appellant. The co-appellant was dismissed because he was not a contractor, i.e., a party in contract with the federal government. In other words, the co-appellant had no privity of contract with the federal government. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of David Adelstein, Kirwin Norris
Mr. Adelstein may be contacted at dma@kirwinnorris.com

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Traub Lieberman Attorneys Recognized in the 2027 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America®

September 08, 2026 — Traub Lieberman
Traub Lieberman is pleased to announce that four Partners have been selected by their peers for inclusion in the 2027 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®. In addition, six attorneys have been included in the 2027 Best Lawyers®: Ones to Watch list. These recognitions include attorneys from the firm’s White Plains, NY; Chicago, IL; Palm Beach Gardens, FL; and St. Petersburg, FL offices. 2027 Best Lawyers® White Plains, NY

• Lisa L. Shrewsberry – Commercial Litigation

Chicago, IL

• Brian C. Bassett – Insurance Law

Palm Beach Gardens, FL

• Rina Clemens – Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, Product Liability Litigation – Defendants

St. Petersburg, FL

• Lauren S. Curtis – Insurance Law

Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Traub Lieberman

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