ANAHEIM CALIFORNIA CONSTRUCTION EXPERT WITNESS
DIRECTORY AND CAPABILITIES

Parking Garage Partially Collapses in Dearborn, Mich., Trapping One

March 31, 2026 — Annemarie Mannion - Engineering News-Record
A multi-level parking garage that partially collapsed in Dearborn, Mich., is fenced off and the city has started the legal process allowed under state law to demolish the privately-owned structure due to alleged dangerous conditions. 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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Why Travelers Fought a Fire Claim for Invisible Smoke Damage

February 23, 2026 — Elaine Silver - Engineering News-Record
Just 40 minutes after midnight on Sept. 27, 2018, the sky lit up over Birmingham, Ala. A fire engulfed an apartment building under construction—the last-to-be completed section of a wood-framed complex called the Metropolitan. It fueled one of the largest recorded blazes in the city’s history. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Elaine Silver, Engineering News-Record
ENR may be contacted at enr@enr.com

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Massachusetts Construction Industry Continues to Wait While Prompt Payment Law Is Put to the Test

March 31, 2026 — Catherine Maronski - Construction Law Zone
Earlier this month, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) heard argument in J.C. Cannistraro, LLC v. Columbia Construction Co. et al., a dispute concerning the state’s Prompt Payment Act (PPA). Although a decision has yet to be issued, it could potentially pose widespread implications for high-value private construction projects moving forward – and perhaps backwards. The PPA, G. L. c. 149, § 29E, enacted by the Massachusetts Legislature in 2010, has become a keystone in the construction industry. It was enacted to address, in part, downstream cash flow issues that tend to pervade construction projects by mandating a series of strict guidelines for submitting, and responding to, payment applications for private projects valued over $3,000,000. Amongst these requirements are set timeframes to respond to an application, as well as what must be contained in an application rejection. Critically, if an owner or upper-tier contractor fails to fully comply with all the statutory requirements in response to a proper payment application, the application is automatically “deemed to be approved” and payable. Significantly, however, this is not always the end of the line. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Catherine Maronski, Robinson Cole
Ms. Maronski may be contacted at cmaronski@rc.com

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Can Anyone Save Gary, Indiana?

November 18, 2025 — Zach Mortice - Bloomberg
On either side of the impeccably refined and classically domed City Hall and courthouse buildings that make up the largely vacant civic core of Gary, Indiana, are two stark white modernist buildings. Both were designed by Black architect Wendell Campbell, a founder of the National Organization of Minority Architects, and built in the 1980s, a time when the industrial city was reeling from job and population losses and desperate to rescue a downtown in full collapse. One of them is a sports and fitness center that’s still in use, but the 83,000-square-foot Genesis Convention Center, built in 1981, has been empty since 2020. The city is currently weighing redevelopment or demolition; one idea has been to use the building’s blank white facade as a canvas for murals and public art. But in a city with at least 7,000 abandoned buildings, there’s no lack of alternative wall spaces. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Zach Mortice, Bloomberg

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Texas Granted Primacy Over Class VI Carbon Storage Wells

December 15, 2025 — Ashleigh Myers, Robert A. James, Michael S. McDonough & Jillian Marullo - Gravel2Gavel
On November 12, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved Texas’s request for primacy over Class VI underground injection control (UIC) wells under the Safe Drinking Water Act, authorizing the Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) to issue and oversee permits for carbon capture and storage (CCS) injection projects. The final rule makes Texas the sixth state to secure primacy over Class VI wells—following North Dakota, Wyoming, Louisiana, Arizona and West Virginia—and marks EPA’s third such approval in the last several months. By securing primacy, effective December 15, 2025, Texas gains direct regulatory control over the siting, construction, operation and closure of CO₂ injection wells intended for long-term geological sequestration. This authority enables the state to establish permitting criteria, environmental review procedures and monitoring standards tailored to Texas’s unique geologic formations and existing oil and gas infrastructure. Reprinted courtesy of Ashleigh Myers, Pillsbury, Robert A. James, Pillsbury, Michael S. McDonough, Pillsbury and Jillian Marullo, Pillsbury Ms. Myers may be contacted at ashleigh.myers@pillsburylaw.com Mr. James may be contacted at rob.james@pillsburylaw.com Mr. McDonough may be contacted at michael.mcdonough@pillsburylaw.com Ms. Marullo may be contacted at jillian.marullo@pillsburylaw.com Read the full story...

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GRSM Attorneys Selected to 2025 Super Lawyers and Rising Stars Lists

January 06, 2026 — Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani
Super Lawyers® has released its 2025 attorney lists across various regions of the United States. This year, 189 Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani attorneys have been selected, with 60 named to Super Lawyers and 129 named to Rising Stars. *For attorneys licensed to practice in New Jersey: No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey. Please visit the Super Lawyers Selection Process for a detailed description of the Super Lawyers and Rising Stars selection methodology. GRSM Super Lawyers 2025 Northern California Michael D. Bruno David C. Capell Lisa M. Cappelluti Dion N. Cominos Matthew S. Foy Natalie Fujikawa Marie Trimble Holvick Michael A. Laurenson Michael J. Pietrykowski Andrew I. Port Gina Stassi Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani

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Insured’s Breach of Contract Claim Survives Motion to Dismiss, but Bad Faith Claim Does Not

November 21, 2025 — Tred R. Eyerly - Insurance Law Hawaii
The court denied the insurer’s motion to dismiss the insured’s breach of contract claim, but granted the motion to dismiss without prejudice the bad faith claim. Terrazas v. State Farm Fire & Cas. Co., 2025 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 173920 (D. Colo. Sept 5, 2025). The plaintiff, Alejandro Garcia-Terrazas, had a policy issued by State Farm. The policy covered the abrupt and accidental discharge or overflow of water. Terrazas noticed a water discharge or overflow in the kitchen. The water caused damage to the floors, cabinets, and other items in the kitchen. A claim was filed with State Farm. State Farm investigated but refused to pay the full value of the claim. 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 a $1,400 Humanoid Hints at Construction’s Robotic Future

November 21, 2025 — Aarni Heiskanen - AEC Business
Chinese startup Noetix launched Bumi, a bipedal robot that challenges mobile robots at a much heftier price. Is this just a whim or a breakthrough that could make robots a viable tool for even small construction companies? The Noetix Bumi robot is a humanoid robot designed primarily for educational and family use. It stands 94 cm (about 3 feet) tall, weighs 12 kg (26 pounds), and can run for 1 to 2 hours per charge. Bumi walks on two legs with stable steps and performs flexible, complex movements, including dancing, enabled by proprietary motion-control algorithms that combine imitation and reinforcement learning. Bumi has a front-facing camera that detects objects and faces, and it is also equipped with microphones for capturing spoken words, which it can process into actions such as following commands. 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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