Des Allemands Louisiana Construction Expert Witness Directory

Brenda Radmacher Authors Chapter in ABA Publication on Construction Delays

May 26, 2026 — Brenda Radmacher - The Construction Seyt
Brenda Radmacher, a partner in Seyfarth’s Construction Law practice and a mediator and arbitrator serving on the American Arbitration Association’s panels, is among the contributing authors to the American Bar Association’s forthcoming guide on construction disputes: Time – The Legal Implications of Project Delay in Construction. Drawing on three decades of experience, Radmacher authors Chapter 8, Contractor Delay Damages, offering practical insight into one of the most contested issues in construction litigation and arbitration. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Brenda Radmacher, Seyfarth Shaw LLP

The Great Escape: Non-Invalidation Clauses and Property Damage Claims

October 20, 2026 — Abigail Smith & Kaarthiga Manimaran - SDV Fenchurch
At their core, non-invalidation clauses (“NICs”) recognise an important commercial reality: an insured cannot control everything that happens at its premises. In the event that an insured finds itself in breach of a condition or warranty owing to events that have increased the risk of damage to its property, but which were outside its authority, knowledge or beyond its control, a NIC may prevent the insurer from avoiding the claim. For that reason, they’re an important tool in an insured’s coverage arsenal. Although there is relatively little caselaw on NICs, their purpose was recognised in The Seashell of Lisson Grove Ltd v Aviva Insurance Ltd [2011] EWHC 1761 (Comm) (on which we wrote a previous article – The Good, the Bad & the Ugly: #26 The Good: The Seashell of Lisson Grove Ltd v Aviva) Reprinted courtesy of Abigail Smith, SDV Fenchurch and Kaarthiga Manimaran, SDV Fenchurch Ms. Smith may be contacted at abigail.smith@sdvfenchurch.uk Ms. Manimaran may be contacted at kaarthiga.manimaran@sdvfenchurch.uk Read the full story...

Structural Engineer Claims Reinforcement Was Never Installed on Troubled NYC Tower

September 01, 2026 — Bryan Gottlieb - Engineering News-Record
New York City has expanded its investigation into the structural failure at the former Pfizer headquarters tower in Midtown Manhattan as the Dept. of Investigation confirmed a parallel inquiry and the Dept. of Buildings directed the property owner to retain third-party engineering oversight. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Bryan Gottlieb, Engineering News-Record
Mr. Gottlieb may be contacted at gottliebb@enr.com

New Executive Order on AI Innovation and Security: Key Takeaways for the Construction Industry

June 15, 2026 — Richard R. Volack & Denis Serkin - Peckar & Abramson, PC
On June 2, 2026, President Trump signed an Executive Order titled “Promoting Advanced Artificial Intelligence Innovation and Security.” At its core, the Order is a cybersecurity and national-security measure rather than a broad regulation of how private companies develop or use AI. It directs federal agencies to harden government systems against AI-enabled cyber threats, establishes voluntary frameworks for collaboration between the federal government and the AI and critical-infrastructure sectors, and strengthens criminal enforcement against the malicious use of AI. Notably, the Order expressly disclaims any intent to create a “mandatory governmental licensing, preclearance, or permitting” regime for the “development, publication, release, or distribution of new AI models.” Instead, the Executive Order seeks to “promote AI innovation and security” by working with the private sector to modernize government and private-sector information systems and harden them against external threats, protect intellectual property from exploitation or theft, and cultivate American AI capabilities. Reprinted courtesy of Richard R. Volack, Peckar & Abramson, PC and Denis Serkin, Peckar & Abramson, PC Mr. Volack may be contacted at rvolack@pecklaw.com Mr. Serkin may be contacted at dserkin@pecklaw.com Read the full story...

Old Storm, New Claim: A Fifth Circuit Notice Reminder

November 02, 2026 — Koorosh Talieh & Torrye Zullo - Hunton Insurance Recovery Blog
In a recent decision, the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed summary judgment for a commercial property insurer in a dispute involving the timing of notice for a hail damage claim. In Gann v. Depositors Insurance Co., No. 25-11291 (5th Cir. Oct. 5, 2026), the policyholder reported a claim after discovering interior water damage in 2022, but its consultant later attributed all of the claimed roof damage to a hailstorm that occurred in 2018. The court concluded that the delay in identifying and reporting the 2018 loss was unreasonable and prejudiced the insurer’s ability to investigate the circumstances of the loss in a timely manner. The decision is an important reminder for policyholders of the need for timely notice under property insurance policies. Such issues can arise, as they did in Gann, even where damage is not immediately apparent, its cause is not initially known, or the cause of loss may implicate a different policy period than the one under which the claim was first made. The Dispute The dispute arose from hail damage to the roof of a commercial property in Irving, Texas. After discovering interior water damage, the policyholder reported a claim to the insurer in September 2022, specifying August 9, 2022, as the date of loss. The insurer inspected the property and determined that a portion of the roof had sustained hail-related damage and issued payment. Reprinted courtesy of Koorosh Talieh, Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP and Torrye Zullo, Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP Mr. Talieh may be contacted at ktalieh@hunton.com Ms. Zullo may be contacted at tzullo@hunton.com Read the full story...

Lewis Brisbois Partner and National Trial Team Member Ian B. Lane Elected President of ABOTA’s Southern New York Chapter

October 20, 2026 — Lewis Brisbois
Lewis Brisbois is pleased to announce that New York Partner Ian B. Lane, a member of the firm’s National Trial Team, has been elected president of the Southern New York Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) for the 2027-2028 term. In this role, Mr. Lane will help lead the organization's efforts to promote excellence in trial advocacy, to foster professionalism within the legal profession, and to advance the chapter's educational, professional, and public service initiatives. Lewis Brisbois has nearly 40 ABOTA members across the country. "I am deeply honored by the confidence my colleagues have placed in me," said Mr. Lane. "ABOTA plays a vital role in preserving the right to trial by jury and promoting the highest standards of professionalism, civility, and advocacy. I look forward to working with our members to advance those goals, support the development of the next generation of trial lawyers, and strengthen the important role of the civil justice system." Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Lewis Brisbois

Louisiana Enacts Important Tort Reform Legislation

May 12, 2026 — Lee M. Peacocke & Benjamin Perkins - Lewis Brisbois
The Louisiana legislature enacted tort reform legislation in 2025 to address the increasing cost of insurance in Louisiana and to provide some predictability to the Louisiana legal system. While our colleagues, Jenny Michel and Jennifer Kretschmann, have provided an excellent and comprehensive analysis of the legislation in their article entitled “Louisiana State Legislature 2025 Regular Session: Tort Reform - Acts & Vetoed Insurance Bill,” which can be found here, this article examines the anticipated impact of the tort reform legislation on personal injury trials in federal and state courts in Louisiana. The most significant reform involves the institution of a modified defense of contributory negligence, which went into effect on January 1, 2026. Since 1996, Louisiana had operated as a pure comparative fault state; the liability of each party whose fault caused damages was to be allocated among the respective parties based upon their appropriate percentage of fault, regardless of the legal theory of liability asserted against each party. Thus, a plaintiff 55 percent at fault could recover 45 percent of their damages from the liable defendants. The 2025 Tort Reform Amendments now prohibit a plaintiff in a personal injury action from recovering any damages if they are found to be 51 percent or more at fault for their damages. The 55 percent at-fault party in the example above is now prohibited from recovering any damages from any party. Importantly, this new legislation now requires the trial court to instruct the jury that if they find a plaintiff to be more than 50 percent at fault, then the plaintiff will not recover any damages. Reprinted courtesy of Lee M. Peacocke, Lewis Brisbois and Benjamin Perkins, Lewis Brisbois Mr. Peacocke may be contacted at Lee.Peacocke@lewisbrisbois.com Mr. Perkins may be contacted at Benjamin.Perkins@lewisbrisbois.com Read the full story...

Mark Cronenwett Obtains Appellate Ruling Vacating Default Judgment Against Mortgage Lender Client

October 12, 2026 — Lewis Brisbois
Dallas Partner Mark Cronenwett recently secured a decision from the Dallas Court of Appeals that vacated a default judgment against his mortgage lender client, on the grounds that the client was never properly served with the complaint. In prior litigation, a real property investor purchased a Texas residential property for pennies on the dollar at an HOA foreclosure sale. That investor then filed a frivolous lawsuit against Lewis Brisbois' mortgage-lender client to invalidate its lien, contending that mortgage lender had abandoned the debt because it failed to respond to the investor’s alleged requests for information about the amounts owed on the loan. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Lewis Brisbois

DES ALLEMANDS LOUISIANA CONSTRUCTION EXPERT WITNESS DIRECTORY AND CAPABILITIES