ANAHEIM CALIFORNIA CONSTRUCTION EXPERT WITNESS
DIRECTORY AND CAPABILITIES

Insurance Coverage and Bad Faith Practice Earns Prestigious Band One Ranking in the Chambers USA 2026 Guide

June 22, 2026 — White and Williams LLP
White and Williams LLP's Insurance Coverage and Bad Faith Practice Group is pleased to share that it has received a Band One ranking in the Chambers USA 2026 Guide for Insurance, Pennsylvania. Additionally, Patricia B. Santelle, Chair Emeritus, Randy Maniloff, Partner, and Robert Walsh, Partner have all been individually ranked on the Chambers USA 2026 Guide in Insurance in Pennsylvania. The Insurance Coverage and Bad Faith Practice's consistent focus on their clients and handling of complex claims were just two of the attributes contributing to their elite Band One ranking, after 11 years on the Chambers USA list. When asked about their experience working with White and Williams’ Pennsylvania Insurance Practice, one client stated, “What distinguishes White and Williams is the high level of service and accountability. The team is responsive, organized and reliable, which allows our internal teams to move quickly and make informed decisions with confidence.” Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of White and Williams LLP

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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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Pursuing Claims for Loss Caused by Recent Kona Low Storms for Homeowners and Businesses

May 12, 2026 — Tred R. Eyerly - Insurance Law Hawaii
The recent Kona Low storms that hit all islands were devastating, causing significant property damage. Homeowners and businesses will be seeking coverage under their insurance policies to recover for their losses. Here is a brief look at what may be covered and which exclusions may be troublesome in homeowners’ and commercial property policies. Typically, both a homeowners’ policy and a commercial property policy include a grant of coverage for “direct physical loss of or damage to Covered Property.” Covered perils are listed, including such events as fire, lightning, or windstorm. Covered Property includes dwellings, other structures on the property and personal property. Additional coverages are usually provided. This includes debris removal after a peril insured against or collapse of a structure. In a homeowners’ policy, additional living expenses are likely covered when the damaged home is not fit to live in. 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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How AI Turns Construction Documents Into Procurement Intelligence

May 05, 2026 — Aarni Heiskanen - AEC Business
MEP equipment accounts for up to 40% of costs on data center or hospital projects, has lead times ranging from 20 weeks to over a year, and has historically been the most underserved area in construction software. In this episode, I speak with Victor Muchiri from BuildVision about what it actually takes to make AI useful in construction procurement, not as a pilot, but in production. We dig into why you cannot simply upload a set of construction drawings to ChatGPT and trust the output. Construction documents are complex, cross-referenced, and consequential. Without deep domain context, such as manufacturer ontologies, equipment taxonomies, and engineering expertise, AI produces plausible results, not reliable ones. BuildVision’s approach is to act as a harness around AI models, wrapping them in construction-specific knowledge so the output can be trusted for real procurement decisions. 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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California Enacts Change Order Fair Payment Act

March 24, 2026 — Michael J. Baker - Snell & Wilmer
For private works construction contracts entered on or after January 1, 2026, recent legislation establishes a claims and dispute resolution process for change orders. The law is codified at Civil Code § 8850. A synopsis of the pertinent provisions includes the following:

1. Submitting a Claim. Contractors or subcontractors must submit a detailed, documented claim when requesting additional time or payment.
2. Owner’s Response Time. The owner must meet and confer within thirty (30) days after receiving the claim. Within ten (10) days of meeting, the owner must provide a written statement identifying which portions of the claim are undisputed and which are disputed. An owner’s failure to respond is treated as disputing the entire claim.

Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Michael J. Baker, Snell & Wilmer
Mr. Baker may be contacted at mjbaker@swlaw.com

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Four Families Now Live in the Season Six Rock the Block Homes in Grantsville, Utah

April 20, 2026 — Hamlet Homes
SALT LAKE CITY, April 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The premier of Rock the Block season seven aired last Monday and is set in Las Vegas, Nevada. Rock The Block is HGTV's highest rated show. Last year, season six was set in Utah and had HGTV's highest rating yet, with over 14 million viewers. All episodes of season six were filmed in the Worthington Ranch community in Grantsville, Utah. The four homes on the show were built by Utah builder Hamlet Homes. During the show, the location of the four Rock The Block homes had to be kept secret and were surrounded by a locked gate. After over a year of being inaccessible, the Utah public was invited in May 2025 to tour the homes and help raise money together for charity. On May 30-31, 2025, Hamlet hosted a 'Rock The Block Party' where the public was able to walk through the homes made famous by the show. Hamlet Owner, VP of Marketing & Design Tami Ostmark shares stories from the show and her perspective of what it's like to be the builder on a national show like this. Ostmark was on set almost the entire time. "As expected, there were times when there was tension on the set. All four designers were super competitive with each other. It's amazing that the production team was able to produce the show as well as they did. I'm very impressed," said Ostmark. Another interesting point related to the show is how much work the local builder is responsible for. Some nights as many as 30 Hamlet team members worked through the night to keep up with the pace of production. "Each designer provided their own trusted carpenters to do finishing work. In two of the cases, designers' flew their favorite carpenters in to carry out their visions. Given the quick turnaround, it's not always practical for finishing work to be permanent. Sometimes, it just needs to look appealing on camera," said Ostmark. This is frequently referred to as 'TV Magic'. "When the show was over, Hamlet re-did any areas that required extra attention". The show really does shoot in only 7 weeks as depicted. This creates a fast pace that was very exciting to be a part of", continued Ostmark. All four of the homes featured on the show have since been purchased; four Utah families currently call them home. ABOUT HAMLET HOMES Hamlet Homes (www.hamlethomes.com) crafts quality customer-oriented townhomes and single-family homes located in attractively designed communities in Utah and Idaho. Since the company's founding in 1995, Hamlet has built over 5,000 homes in 80 communities. The company is a proud recipient of many awards on Sustainable Business & Design, Quality Builder Awards; recognized both locally and nationally. Named by the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce as the 'Veteran Owned Small Business of the Year, in 2019'. Hamlet has since been named several times to the Professional Builder's Housing Giants List and annual HOME AWARDS Best Customer Experience. Most recently in 2026, Hamlet was named Utah's 'Best of State for Real Estate Development and Utah Businesses 'Best Companies to Work For' for the 6th consecutive year.

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Introducing the Updated 2026 Pillsbury Guide to Data Centers

June 08, 2026 — Gravel2Gavel Team - Gravel2Gavel Construction & Real Estate Law Blog
Since the initial publication of the Pillsbury Guide to Data Centers in 2025, the market has continued to evolve—most notably with respect to power availability, energy strategy, tax and incentives planning, and investment activity across the sector. While many of the legal, commercial and regulatory frameworks addressed in the original Guide remain durable and relevant, recent developments warranted targeted updates and additions. The 2026 edition expands and updates our energy-focused content to reflect the increasingly central role of power procurement, interconnection and long-term energy strategy in d
Falling Crime Rates Make Dangerous Neighborhoods Safe for Bidding Wars

Safety Guidance for the Prevention of the Coronavirus on Construction Sites

Texas Legislature Puts a Spear in Doctrine Making Contractor Warrantor of Owner Furnished Plans and Specifications

Coverage Found For Cleanup of Superfund Site Despite Pollution Exclusion

Asbestos Client Alert: Court’s Exclusive Gatekeeper Role May not be Ignored or Shifted to a Jury

Homebuilding in Las Vegas Slows but Doesn’t Fall

New ConsensusDocs 242 Design Professional Change Order Form Helps Facilitate Compensation for Changes in Design Services

Doing Construction Lead Programs the Right Way

Consequential Damage Claims for Insurer's Bad Faith Dismissed

Airbnb Declares End to Party!

Effective July 1, 2022, Contractors Will be Liable for their Subcontractor’s Failure to Pay its Employees’ Wages and Benefits

Indiana District Court Finds Crane Inspection Services Do Not Trigger “Professional Services” Exclusion in Liability Policy

Don’t Just Document- Document Right!

New York Appellate Court Applies Broad Duty to Defend to Property Damage Case

Suing a Local Government in Land Use Cases – Part 1 – Substantive Due Process

Court Holds That Self-Insured Retentions Exhaust Vertically And Awards Insured Mandatory Prejudgment Interest in Stringfellow Site Coverage Dispute

Roni Most, Esq., Reappointed as a City of Houston Associate Judge

Oregon Courthouse Reopening after Four Years Repairing DefectsHousing Inventory Might be Distorted by Pocket Listings

Misread of Other Insurance Clause Becomes Costly for Insurer

Benefits and Pitfalls of Partnerships Between Companies

No Coverage For Construction Defect Under Illinois Law

How the Election Could Affect the Housing Industry: Steven Cvitanovic Authors Construction Today Article

What ENR.com Construction News Gained the Most Views

Miller Act Claim for Unsigned Change Orders

Breach of Fiduciary Duty Claim Against Insurer Survives Motion to Dismiss

Court Rules that Damage From Squatter’s Fire is Not Excluded as Vandalism or Malicious Mischief

China Allows Construction to Resume of High-Rise Stopped for Last Decade

OSHA Fines Alabama Contractor After Site Manager Electrocuted

US-Mexico Border Wall Bids Include Tourist Attraction, Solar Panels

Documenting Contract Changes in Construction

Construction Upturn in Silicon Valley

Wendel Rosen Construction Attorneys Recognized by Super Lawyers

Sometimes You Get Away with Unwritten Contracts. . .

Colorado Supreme Court Grants the Petition for Writ of Certiorari in Vallagio v. Metropolitan Homes

Union Handbilling: When, Where, and Why it is Legal

DC District Court Follows Ninth Circuit’s Lead Dismissing NABA’s Border Wall Case

Insurer's Denial of Coverage to Additional Insured Constitutes Bad Faith

California Fire Lawyers File Suit Against PG&E on Behalf of More Than 50 Wildfire Victims

Home Buyer Disclosures, What’s Required and What Isn’t

Houses Can Still Make Cents: Illinois’ Implied Warranty of Habitability

Blueprint for Change: How the Construction Industry Should Respond to the FTC’s Ban on Noncompetes

2021 2Q Cost Report: Industry Execs Believe Recovery Is in Full Swing

California Court of Appeal Affirms Trial Court’s Denial of anti-SLAPP Motion in Dispute Over Construction of Church Facilities

Construction Law Alert: Appellate Court Lets Broad General Release Stand in SB 800 Case

Nevada Governor Signs Construction Defect Reform Bill

Builder Survey Focuses on Green Practices of Top 200 Builders

IRMI Expert Commentary: Managing Insurance Coverage from Multiple Insurers

Partner John Toohey is Nominated for West Coast Casualty’s Jerrold S. Oliver Award of Excellence!

A License to Sue: Appellate Court Upholds Condition of Statute that a Contracting Party Must Hold a Valid Contractor’s License to Pursue Action for Recovery of Payment for Contracting Services

Alabama Still “An Outlier” on Construction Defects

From Both Sides Now: Looking at Contracts Through a Post-Pandemic Lens

Environmental Update: Regulatory Notes – April 2025

California Contractors: Amended Section 7141.5 Provides Important License Renewal Safety Net

Just When You Thought General Contractors Were Necessary Parties. . .

'There Was No Fighting This Fire,' California Survivor Says

At Lake Powell, Engineering Is Outpacing Colorado River Policy

Colorado SB 15-177 UPDATE: Senate Business, Labor, & Technology Committee Refers Construction Defect Reform Bill to Full Senate

Duty to Defend Bodily Injury Evolving Over Many Policy Periods Prorated in Louisiana

EPA Threatens Cut in California's Federal Highway Funds

Partners Patti Santelle and Gale White honored by as "Top Women in Law" The Legal Intelligencer

State of Texas’ Claims Time Barred by 1982 Nuclear Waste Policy Act

Can Baltimore Get a Great Bridge?

Challenging a Termination for Default

Business Risk Exclusions Do Not Preclude Coverage

Nomos LLP Partner Garret Murai Recognized by Best Lawyers in America

Cybersecurity “Flash” Warning for Construction and Manufacturing Businesses

The LA Fires Destroyed 11,000 Homes. Less Than 10% Have Permits to Rebuild