Why the Renovation of Federal Reserve Headquarters Costs $2.5 Billion
January 21, 2026 —
Kriston Capps - BloombergFor months, the renovation of the Federal Reserve’s headquarters in Washington has been a subject of friction between the White House and the central bank. On Jan. 11, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said the Justice Department had issued subpoenas in advance of a possible criminal indictment related to the ongoing work.
The cost of the work has ballooned to $2.5 billion, and allies of President Donald Trump have previously pressed for an investigation. Powell described the DOJ inquiry as a pressure campaign led by the White House.
Any evidence of mismanagement or fraud, as Trump administration officials have suggested, could prove a useful pretext for removing Powell, who the president has repeatedly lambasted for interest rates higher than he’d like.
Read the full story...Reprinted courtesy of
Kriston Capps, Bloomberg
IEEPA Tariff Refunds: CBP Launches CAPE Process
April 27, 2026 —
David J. Creagan, Guido Antolini, Bruce W. MacLennan & Gary P. Biehn - White and Williams LLPOn April 20, 2026, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) launched the first phase of the Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries (CAPE) tool in the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) portal to administer refunds of duties imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) through a streamlined electronic filing process.
Background
In February 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court held that certain tariffs imposed under IEEPA were unlawful. Subsequent proceedings before the U.S. Court of International Trade required CBP to develop a scalable refund process applicable not only to litigants but also to non-plaintiffs. According to CBP and court filings, approximately 330,000 importers paid or deposited an estimated $166 billion in IEEPA duties across more than 53 million entries. In response, CBP developed CAPE as an electronic, consolidated refund mechanism within ACE.
Reprinted courtesy of
David J. Creagan, White and Williams LLP,
Guido Antolini, White and Williams LLP,
Bruce W. MacLennan, White and Williams LLP and
Gary P. Biehn, White and Williams LLP
Mr. Creagan may be contacted at creagand@whiteandwilliams.com
Mr. Antolini may be contacted at antolinig@whiteandwilliams.com
Mr. MacLennan may be contacted at maclennanb@whiteandwilliams.com
Mr. Biehn may be contacted at biehng@whiteandwilliams.com
Read the full story...
Elliott Backed Venture Sues Lloyds Over Avant Cladding, Times Reports
February 17, 2026 —
Eamon Farhat - BloombergElliott Investment Management and British housing tycoon Jeff Fairburn, joint-venture partners in UK homebuilder
Avant Homes Group, are suing
Lloyds Banking Group Plc over who should pay to fix properties that fail to meet post-Grenfell fire-safety standards, the Times reported.
Avant, which faces remediation costs of at least £107 million ($146 million) for potentially dangerous cladding, argues that Lloyds should shoulder part of the bill because most of the developments were built before 2014, when the homebuilder was under the bank’s ownership, the Times reported.
Cladding has become a contentious issue in the UK following the Grenfell Tower fire in June 2017, in which dozens died after flames spread rapidly through flammable exterior cladding on the West London high-rise, laying bare deep failures in Britain’s building safety regulations.
Read the full story...Reprinted courtesy of
Eamon Farhat, Bloomberg
Contract Disputes Act and Jurisdictional Requirements
March 17, 2026 —
David Adelstein - Florida Construction Legal UpdatesWhen dealing with a claim on a federal construction project, there are a couple of key background jurisdictional points. These points were briefly highlighted in the recent appeal, Mega Star Logistics Service Co. v. Department of State, CBCA 8232, 2026 WL 253738 (CBCA 2026). Here are the two points.
FIRST, when it comes to jurisdiction, for a board of contract appeals “to exercise jurisdiction over a claim, the CDA [Contract Disputes Act] requires the contractor to submit a written claim to the contracting officer for a COFD [contracting officer final decision], with a subsequent appeal of the COFD or deemed denial if the CO [contracting officer] does not issue a COFD.” Thus, you need to submit a formal claim under the Contract Disputes Act to the contracting officer to get a final decision from the contracting officer (or the contracting officer waiving the final decision by not timely furnishing one). Mega Star Logistics, supra.
Read the full story...Reprinted courtesy of
David Adelstein, Kirwin NorrisMr. Adelstein may be contacted at
dma@kirwinnorris.com
Construction of $3B Data Center in North Dakota Spurs Annexation Battle
January 13, 2026 —
Annemarie Mannion - Engineering News-RecordConstruction of a $3-billion data center on a 320-acre site in southeastern North Dakota has sparked an annexation dispute between the small city where it is being built and its much larger neighbor, Fargo.
Read the full story...Reprinted courtesy of
Annemarie Mannion, Engineering News-RecordMs. Mannion may be contacted at
manniona@enr.com
How to Properly Fill Out and Use the Conditional Waiver and Release on Final Payment Form Used in California Construction
December 30, 2025 —
William L. Porter - Porter Law GroupThis is the third article in a series of four articles discussing how to properly fill out the four California construction releases described in California Civil Code 8132 – 8138.
Let me start by noting that in addition to practicing construction law for more than 35 years, I chaired the committee of California construction attorneys who revised those sections of the California Civil Code dealing with this release form and many other construction forms as part of Senate Bill 189 in 2010. I also wrote the first version of this release form and made it free to the public well before the new law took effect in 2012. With this background, let me note a few things about the Conditional Waiver and Release on Final Payment form to help you avoid mistakes that might prevent you from achieving the intended effect of the form or releasing claim rights to a greater extent than you intend.
At the end of this article is a copy of the form itself which includes numbers coinciding with the instructions I will give below. A live electronically fillable version of the form is available on our firm’s website (www.porterlaw.com) under the “Forms” section. It is free and you can fill it out on your screen before printing it out and signing it.
Read the full story...Reprinted courtesy of
William L. Porter, Porter Law GroupMr. Porter may be contacted at
bporter@porterlaw.com
Modular Construction’s Big Boom: New Risks Outpacing Standard Contracts in Industrial Projects
March 24, 2026 —
Chad Theriot & Jack Mayo - Construction ExecutiveModular construction is revolutionizing the construction industry, tackling labor shortages, sustainability goals and supply-chain challenges, with the global market for modular and prefabricated construction projected to reach over $200 billion by 2030. While residential builders have embraced modular’s speed and affordability, the greatest risks—and opportunities—are emerging in the industrial sector, where project scale and complexity demand new legal strategies.
In 2023, Chad Theriot explored industrial and infrastructure applications of modular construction, addressing risks like offsite fabrication and integration complexities in his article, “
The Rise of Modular Construction—Impacts for Consideration.” Since that time, modular construction has continued to experience significant advancements and has been increasingly adopted by contractors across a broad spectrum of industrial and commercial projects. As modular construction continues to reshape the industrial landscape, contractors and owners alike must be mindful of the legal implications associated with its use, specifically as it relates to liability and risk allocation, regulatory compliance, quality control and upstream factors such as transportation and intellectual property concerns.
Reprinted courtesy of
Chad Theriot and Jack Mayo, Construction Executive, a publication of Associated Builders and Contractors. All rights reserved.
Read the full story...
Maryland Enacts Climate-Cost Study Over Veto, New Jersey Advances Climate Superfund Proposal as Earlier State Laws Face Ongoing Court Challenges
January 21, 2026 —
Amanda G. Halter, Ashleigh Myers & Jillian Marullo - Gravel2Gavel Construction & Real Est
Miller Act CLAIMS: Finding Protections and Preserving Your Rights
EPA Threatens Cut in California's Federal Highway Funds
In Florida, Exculpatory Clauses Do Not Need Express Language Referring to the Exculpated Party's Negligence
Slump in U.S. Housing Starts Led by Multifamily: Economy
Research Project Underway to Prepare Water Utilities for Wildfire Events
Science-Based Standards for Wildfire Recovery: What California Policyholders Need to Know About A.B. 1642
Traub Lieberman Partner Lisa M. Rolle Obtains Summary Judgment in Favor of Defendant
Insurance Client Alert: Mere Mailing of Policy and Renewals Into California is Not Sufficient Basis for Jurisdiction Over Bad Faith Lawsuit
Bert Hummel Appointed to Chief Justice’s Commission on Professionalism
Incorporation, Indemnity and Statutes of Limitations, Oh My!
Quick Note: Liability Insurer’s Duty to Defend and Duty to Indemnify
Raw Sewage Spill Fouls Waters Between San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico
5 Ways Equipment Financing is Empowering Small Construction Businesses
Contractors: Beware the Subordination Clause
Point Taken: The UK Supreme Court Finally Confirms the General Law of Liquidated Damages (LDs)
Pending Home Sales in U.S. Increase Less Than Forecast
2026 Southern California Super Lawyers Recognizes 14 Snell & Wilmer Attorneys
Insurer Ordered to Participate in Appraisal
As Natural Gas Expands in Gulf, Residents Fear Rising Damage
Insurance for Defective Construction Now in Third Edition
California Enacts Change Order Fair Payment Act
Timely Written Notice to Insurer and Cooperating with Insurer
Third Circuit Holds That Duty to Indemnify "Follows" Duty to Defend
Eight Things You Need to Know About the AAA’s New Construction Arbitration Rules
Alaska Supreme Court Finds Insurer Owes No Independent Duty to Injured Party
New Law Limits Withheld Retention on Qualified Private Works Projects to 5% Effective 2026
Industry Practices Questioned After Girder Fractures at Salesforce Transit Center
Courthouse Reporter Series: The Travails of Statutory Construction...Defining “Labor” under the Miller Act
State-Fed Fight Heats Up Over Building Private Nuclear Disposal Sites
Another (Insurer) Bites The Dust: Virginia District Court Rejects Narrow Reading of Pollution Exclusion
The New Jersey Theme Park Where Kids’ Backhoe Dreams Come True
Colorado Court of Appeals holds that insurance companies owe duty of prompt and effective communication to claimants and repair subcontractors
Construction Defects Claims Can Be Limited by Contract Says Washington Court
Defeating the Ten-Year Statute of Repose For Latent Construction Defects
Utah Becomes First State to Enact the Uniform Commercial Real Estate Receivership Act
Bronx Public Housing Tower Partially Collapses
A Deep Dive Into an Undervalued Urban Marvel
Additional Insureds Owed a Defense in Underlying Personal Injury Suit
Lewis Brisbois Listed on Leopard Solutions Top 10 Law Firm Index
New Orleans Reviews System After Storm Swamps Pumps
Resurgent Housing Seen Cushioning U.S. From World Woes: Economy
Ten Firm Members Recognized as Super Lawyers or Rising Stars
10 Haight Lawyers Recognized in Best Lawyers in America© 2023 and The Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch 2023
Updates to the CEQA Guidelines Have Been Finalized
Traub Lieberman Partner Eric D. Suben Obtains Federal Second Circuit Affirmance of Summary Judgment in Insurer’s Favor
Builders Oppose Senate Housing Bill Over Investor Ban Provision
California’s Right to Repair Act not an Exclusive Remedy
White and Williams Announces the Election of Five Lawyers to the Partnership and the Promotion of Five Associates to Counsel
Building Codes Evolve With High Wind Events
No Coverage for Restoring Aesthetic Uniformity
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