BUFFALO SOUTH DAKOTA CONSTRUCTION EXPERT WITNESS
DIRECTORY AND CAPABILITIES

Credibility Matters…Even in Delay Claims

September 29, 2026 — David Adelstein - Florida Construction Legal Updates
Credibility matters. Here’s another example involving a delay claim on public private partnership delivery method. The project agreement required claims to be tried by a hearing examiner. The public private partnership developer (for lack of a better term) submitted delay claims that it contended were caused by Miami-Dade County. The hearing examiner awarded the developer delay time and compensation. On appeal, the County argued that the delays awarded by the hearing examiner were concurrent critical path delays with other delays caused by the developer’s team (the developer’s contractor). This was demonstrated by the fact that in an attempt to mitigate the County delay, the contractor’s incorporated a schedule fragnet into its schedule to mitigate delay that showed the critical path was driven by events deemed caused by the contractor. This was also reported in the contractor’s monthly updates. The developer argued that its mitigation plan did not work and, thus, the schedules showed a hypothetical delay caused by the contractor when, in actuality, it was the County-caused delay that drove the critical path. The hearing officer agreed with the contractor. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of David Adelstein, Kirwin Norris
Mr. Adelstein may be contacted at dma@kirwinnorris.com

---

Why Professional Liability Insurance Is Ticking Clock for AE Firms

November 09, 2026 — Jared Maxwell - Engineering News-Record
For architecture and engineering firms, professional liability insurance is a cornerstone of risk management. These policies are almost always written on a claims-made basis, making timely claims reporting one of the most critical—yet often overlooked—requirements for preserving coverage. In practice, how and when a firm reports a claim can have just as much impact as the claim itself. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Jared Maxwell, Engineering News-Record
ENR may be contacted at enr@enr.com

---

HDR Agreed to $12M Settlement With Miami Bridge Design-Build Team

May 12, 2026 — Richard Korman - Engineering News-Record
HDR last year agreed to pay $12 million to the design-build construction contractor Archer Western-de Moya Group to settle its claims that the engineer had incompletely designed and under-designed Miami's new Signature Bridge when the joint venture committed to a fixed price prior to construction in 2018. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Richard Korman, Engineering News-Record
Mr. Korman may be contacted at kormanr@enr.com

---

Pay-If-Paid: What You Need to Know Before Signing on the Dotted Line

August 03, 2026 — Christian Fernandez & Matthew Racioppo - Snell & Wilmer
Buried deep in the fine print of a subcontract, a pay-if-paid clause may be looming. If you are a subcontractor or supplier, misreading these clauses can put your cash flow at risk. If you are an owner or general contractor, drafting them incorrectly can leave you with obligations you never intended — or unenforceable protections you were counting on. It is more important than ever to understand when pay-if-paid clauses hold up and when they do not, as well as recent litigation and drafting trends. Whether you are negotiating a new agreement, reviewing your standard form contracts, or staring down a payment dispute, understanding how Arizona law treats pay-if-paid clauses is essential. In this article, we break down key considerations, walk through the legal standards Arizona courts apply, and offer practical tips to consider to help you protect your payment rights on the next project. Reprinted courtesy of Christian Fernandez, Snell & Wilmer and Matthew Racioppo, Snell & Wilmer Mr. Fernandez may be contacted at cfernandez@swlaw.com Mr. Racioppo may be contacted at mracioppo@swlaw.com Read the full story...

---

Two Important Points Regarding the Miller Act

September 15, 2026 — David Adelstein - Florida Construction Legal Updates
A recent Miller Act case, U.S. f/u/b/o Boundless Management Outsourcing Group, LLC v. Endurance Assurance Corp, 2026 WL 2241491 (D. Puerto Rico 2026), confirms two important points when it comes to the Miller Act. In this case, a subcontractor pursued a Miller Act payment bond lawsuit more than one year after its work was finished. The subcontractor also asserted a claim against the federal government. The lawsuit was dismissed. Below are two takeaway points to consider if you are dealing with a Miller Act payment bond lawsuit. First, as it relates the claim against the federal government, the federal district court followed authority that held that the Miller Act does NOT include a waiver of sovereign immunity against the federal government. “[T]he Court does not identify any clear language in the Miller Act expressly waiving the United States or its agencies’ sovereign immunity.” Endurance Assurance Corp., supra at *3. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of David Adelstein, Kirwin Norris
Mr. Adelstein may be contacted at dma@kirwinnorris.com

---

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

---

Settlement Agreements and Contracts Require a Meeting of the Minds

July 20, 2026 — David Adelstein - Florida Construction Legal Updates
A settlement agreement does not need to be executed for it to be enforceable as long as there was a MEETING OF THE MINDS. The same rings true for any contract regardless of whether the contract is signed – THERE NEEDS TO BE A MEETING OF THE MINDS. In a recent case dealing with the settlement agreement on a construction lien, the essential settlement terms (money and mutual release) were memorialized in an e-mail exchange between the parties (owner and subcontractor). The settlement required the owner to pay the principal amount plus some attorney’s fees and then a mutual general release would be prepared. In response to the confirmatory email, the owner sent a check, which the subcontractor deposited, but the owner refused to sign the release signed and sent by the subcontractor. The owner further claimed it doesn’t need to pay the attorney’s fees because the lien amount was paid in full. The subcontractor sued arguing the owner breached the terms of the settlement. The appellate court agreed. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of David Adelstein, Kirwin Norris
Mr. Adelstein may be contacted at dma@kirwinnorris.com

---

Brandy Price, Dean Pillarella Named to Lawdragon's "Next Generation" List

June 22, 2026 — Lewis Brisbois
Charlotte/North Charleston Partner Brandy G. Price and New York Partner Dean Pillarella have been selected to "The 2026 Lawdragon 500 X – The Next Generation," which recognizes emerging leaders in law. Lawdragon's annual Next Generation listing highlights up-and-coming attorneys with fewer than 15 years in practice. The legal media company selected these honorees through a combination of peer nominations, extensive journalistic research by Lawdragon editors, and independent vetting. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Lewis Brisbois

---