Anaheim California Construction Expert Witness Directory

Snell & Wilmer’s Los Angeles Office Recognized as One of the “Best Places to Work” by the Los Angeles Business Journal

September 15, 2026 — Snell & Wilmer
LOS ANGELES – Snell & Wilmer is proud to announce that its Los Angeles office has been named one of the 2026 Best Places to Work by the Los Angeles Business Journal as part of its annual Best Places to Work awards. The recognition honors outstanding employers across the Los Angeles region that are fostering strong workplace cultures and creating positive employee experiences. Selections are based on confidential employee surveys conducted by Workforce Research Group, which evaluate organizations on leadership, corporate culture, communication, employee engagement, and other key workplace factors. “We are honored to be recognized as one of the Best Places to Work in Los Angeles,” said Joshua Schneiderman, managing partner of the firm’s Los Angeles office. “This recognition reflects the collaborative culture we have built and the dedication of our attorneys and professional staff who contribute to making our office a great place to work. We remain committed to providing opportunities for growth, fostering meaningful connections, and supporting our team members’ continued success.” Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Snell & Wilmer

AI Can Now Train the Soft Skills Construction Ignored

August 03, 2026 — Aarni Heiskanen - AEC Business
Most AEC professionals learn to work in teams and across teams through trial and error. There are, however, opportunities to better prepare for the real world with formal training. Until now, it has required human facilitators. Now, generative AI is emerging as a scalable alternative, which I’m also exploring. A Gap in Curricula When I studied architecture, most of the teamwork happened with co-students in the same department. However, one course focused on industrial projects where future architects and engineers collaborated on a simulated project. I’m not sure if a similar course is still in the curriculum, but it was certainly worthwhile and should have been much more extensive. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Aarni Heiskanen, AEC Business
Mr. Heiskanen may be contacted at aec-business@aepartners.fi

Court Finds Potential Conflicts In Denying Insurer’s Motion to Dismiss Claim for Independent Counsel

October 12, 2026 — Tred R. Eyerly - Insurance Law Hawaii
The District Court denied the insurer’s motion to dismiss the additional insured’s claim that the appointment of independent counsel was required. S. Cal. Edison Co. v. Travelers Prop. Cas. Co of Am., 2025 U.S. DIst. LEXIS 148495 (C.D Calif. July 15, 2025). Southern California Edison Company (SCE) entered a Master Services Agreement with its contractor, SASCO whereby SASCO agreed to provide services concerning electrical pole repair and replacement. SASCO was required to obtain primary and excess general liability policies and to name SCE as an additional insured. SASCO obtained such policies from Travelers, naming SCE as an additional insured. The policies limited coverage for SCE to covered damages arising from SASCO’s work. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Tred R. Eyerly, Damon Key Leong Kupchak Hastert
Mr. Eyerly may be contacted at te@hawaiilawyer.com

Congratulations to BWB&O’s Orange County Team for Securing a Strong MSJ Result in a Residential Gas Explosion Matter!

May 14, 2026 — Dolores Montoya - Bremer Whyte Brown & O'Meara LLP
Huge Congratulations to Partner Kevin Wheeler and Associate Lindsey Wells for securing a strong result on a Motion for Summary Judgment / Summary Adjudication filed on behalf of their client, the City of Murrieta. This was a complex, multi-party matter arising from a residential gas leak and explosion, where Plaintiffs alleged the City and MFPD failed to properly respond to the incident. After multiple complaints were consolidated and extensive defense work narrowed the case, eighteen plaintiffs remained asserting five causes of action against the City, prompting a comprehensive MSJ/MSA targeting liability, causation, and damages. The Court’s ruling reflects a significant win, particularly on the immunity framework. The Court eliminated the core negligence and assumed-duty claims arising from fire protection and emergency response activities. It further disposed of the misrepresentation and public nuisance claims. At the end of the day, three plaintiffs were dismissed entirely for failure to comply with Government Claims Act requirements, further reducing the scope of the case. While the dangerous condition claim remains, it does so in a very limited posture. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Bremer Whyte Brown & O'Meara LLP

Actual Controversy Without Actual Exhaustion: California Supreme Court Allows Declaratory Relief and Bad Faith Claims Against Excess Insurers

August 24, 2026 — Kyle A. Rudolph - Saxe Doernberger & Vita, P.C.
California courts were previously split on the issue of whether an insured may bring declaratory relief claims against excess insurers prior to the exhaustion of underlying insurance. Some California courts held that the actual exhaustion of underlying insurance was necessary, whereas other courts allowed for these types of claims to proceed.[1] Recently, the California Supreme Court addressed this split of authority and, in doing so, handed down a significant win for policyholders. In Fox Paine & Company, LLC, et al. v. Twin City Fire Insurance Company et al., the Court held that insureds may proceed with bringing forth viable declaratory relief and bad faith claims against excess insurers prior to the exhaustion of underlying insurance.[2] A summary of the Court’s opinion is provided below. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Kyle A. Rudolph, Saxe Doernberger & Vita, P.C.
Mr. Rudolph may be contacted at KRudolph@sdvlaw.com

Two Snell & Wilmer Attorneys Selected as 2026 San Diego Super Lawyers Rising Stars

May 14, 2026 — Snell & Wilmer
SAN DIEGO – Snell & Wilmer is pleased to announce that two attorneys in the San Diego office have been selected for inclusion in the 2026 San Diego Super Lawyers Rising Stars publication. Rising Stars is a listing of lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. To be eligible for inclusion, a candidate must be either 40 years old or younger or in practice for 10 years or less. The selection process is multi-phased and includes independent research and peer nominations, with no more than 2.5 percent of the lawyers in the state named to the Rising Stars list. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Snell & Wilmer

LA Scores Major Victory in a High-Exposure Premises Liability Action

July 06, 2026 — Dolores Montoya - Bremer Whyte Brown & O'Meara LLP
Our firm is proud to announce a decisive defense victory obtained by Partner Daniel Crespo and Associate Lauren Landau for our client in a high-exposure premises liability action arising from a 2022 incident at an active school construction site in Perris, California. On March 10, 2026, the Riverside County Superior Court granted Summary Judgment in full for our client, dismissing all claims brought by Plaintiff, who alleged she tripped and fell over a curb while picking up her daughter from school and sustained ankle and wrist injuries as a result. Through meticulous preparation and the strategic use of construction plans, contractual documents, and onsite surveillance video evidence, our team demonstrated that our client had no ownership, possession, or control over the portion of the existing sidewalk where the incident occurred, with construction plans unambiguously designating the area as pre-existing concrete outside our client’s scope of work, and the Construction Services Agreement expressly reserving control over all existing site improvements to the school district. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Bremer Whyte Brown & O'Meara LLP

Could Your Project-Level AI Prompt Become the Other Side’s Smoking Gun?

October 20, 2026 — Ryan Glass - ConsensusDocs
A dispute is brewing on the project. Wanting a quick assessment, the project manager opens ChatGPT, Claude, or another generative artificial intelligence (“AI”) platform. The project manager types the dispute background into the prompt, including concerns, explanations, and a frank discussion of what may have gone wrong on the contractor-side. The AI response identifies potential weaknesses in the contractor’s position, including possible failures to meet contractual obligations. Unhappy with the answer, the project manager starts a new chat, revises the prompt, and tries again. If the dispute escalates to arbitration or litigation, can the owner force the contractor to provide these prompts and the resulting responses? Frustratingly, the answer is: it depends. Courts have reached different conclusions. For now, the safest course is to involve your counsel before using AI to evaluate a demand letter, default notice, or threatened lawsuit, or before using AI to draft dispute-related emails, claim letters, or other communications that contain project-specific facts. Otherwise, what feels like a private conversation may later become key evidence for the opposing party. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Ryan Glass, Jones Walker LLC
Mr. Glass may be contacted at rglass@joneswalker.com

ANAHEIM CALIFORNIA CONSTRUCTION EXPERT WITNESS DIRECTORY AND CAPABILITIES