ANAHEIM CALIFORNIA CONSTRUCTION EXPERT WITNESS
DIRECTORY AND CAPABILITIES

Chris Konzelmann Appointed to NASP Board of Directors

November 03, 2025 — White and Williams LLP
White and Williams LLP congratulates Chris Konzelmann, Partner and Chairman of the Subrogation Department, on his appointment to the National Association of Subrogation Professionals’ (NASP) Board of Directors. In an announcement posted to LinkedIn, NASP stated, “These new board members bring diverse experience, leadership, and a shared vision for NASP’s future. Together, they will continue advancing NASP’s mission to provide education, advocacy, and community for subrogation professionals across all industries.” Chris is a long-standing member of NASP and a frequent presenter at its Annual and Spring Conferences. He also regularly delivers webinars and training sessions for subrogation clients, helping them stay informed on legal developments and best practices in recovery strategy. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of White and Williams LLP

---

Fire Protection You Can Trust Starts With the Right Testing

December 22, 2025 — Fernanda Gregati - Construction Executive
Steel’s strength and flexibility enable bold architectural design, fast project delivery and enduring structures. Despite its many advantages, steel has one critical vulnerability: It fails in fire of certain temperatures. According to the American Institute of Steel Construction, steel can lose roughly half its load-bearing strength at 1,100°F (593°C). The organization also reports that in real-world building fires, fueled by everyday office contents such as wood, paper and furniture, temperatures can exceed this threshold in minutes. That’s why many building codes mandate passive fire protection systems on exposed structural steel. Among the most effective prove thin-film intumescent coatings that expand under heat to form a charred insulating layer. These coatings delay heat transfer, allowing steel to maintain its integrity long enough to allow more time for evacuation and emergency response. Reprinted courtesy of Fernanda Gregati, Construction Executive, a publication of Associated Builders and Contractors. All rights reserved. Read the full story...

---

Outer Banks Homes Collapsing Is Just a Taste of What’s to Come

December 22, 2025 — Mark Gongloff - Bloomberg
On Sept. 20, 2024, a four-bedroom, three-bathroom beach house in Buxton, North Carolina, in the heart of the Outer Banks, sold for $580,000. On Oct. 28 this year, the house, known as Mermaid’s Rest, collapsed into the ocean. It was one of five homes swallowed that day by high waves churned up by an offshore storm. Few things

A Couple of Mechanic’s Lien Bills in VA [UPDATED]

February 23, 2026 — Christopher G. Hill - Construction Law Musings
Well, its that time of year again, the Virginia General Assembly is in session and looking to make changes to all kinds of things here in the Commonwealth. While most of those changes are well outside of the subject of Construction Law Musings, changes to the mechanic’s lien statutes certainly are not. This year, the Virginia General Assembly is poised to make some big changes if certain legislation gets out of committee and passes the legislature, a description and some comments on these follow: HB752 – Mechanics’ liens; liens attaching to property; memorandum of lien. [Original Description] Removes the exclusion of the attachment of a mechanic’s lien to property improved or repaired when the lien is based on a claim for repairs or existing structures. The bill further removes (i) the ability of a lien claimant to file any number of memoranda of lien including the details relating to the lien and (ii) the provisions of the Code specifying that no memorandum filed shall inclu

Weather Delay Claim - Owner Delay Pushes Contractor into Worse Seasonal Adverse Weather

November 04, 2025 — David Adelstein - Florida Construction Legal Updates
In government contracting, a contractor is entitled to a time extension for “unusually severe weather.” However, this time extension is typically not compensable (meaning you get time, but not additional compensation). However, “a contractor may bring a claim for compensable delay when government delay pushes a contractor’s performance into a p

Science-Based Standards for Wildfire Recovery: What California Policyholders Need to Know About A.B. 1642

March 03, 2026 — Geoffrey B. Fehling & Yosef Itkin - Hunton Insurance Recovery Blog
Wildfires continue to present serious risks for California property owners. Unfortunately, commercial property owners, corporate facilities, landlords, and homeowners need to overcome not only the flames themselves, but also remediating hazardous contamination against a backdrop of unpredictable and ambiguous environmental safety standards. In response to the destructive Los Angeles area fires in 2025, the California Legislature recently introduced Assembly Bill 1642 aimed at creating uniform science-based standards for evaluating, testing, and clearing wildfire-impacted properties. While A.B. 1642 is in its early stages of consideration, it could materially influence claims handling, remediation costs, risk management practices, and broader liability exposures for California policyh

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

Bridging the Information Gap of Alternative Delivery Methods on Public Projects

January 21, 2026 — Michael S. Blackwell - The Dispute Resolver
In almost all corners of the country, municipaliti

Insured’s Motion to Compel Production of Underwriting Materials Granted

November 04, 2025 — Tred R. Eyerly - Insurance Law Hawaii
The Supreme Court of New York granted the insured’s motion to compel the production of underwriting materials related to identifying additional insureds. Church of St. Andrew v. Western World Ins. Co., 2025 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 7018 (N.Y. Sup. Ct. Aug. 5, 2025). The Church of St. Andrew (“church”) retained GC Solutions to perform roofing work at its premises. The church required GC Solutions to name it as an additional insured under its general liability policy. GC Solutions provided a Certificate of Insurance naming the church as an additional insured under the policy issued by Western World. While working on the roof, an employee of GC Solutions fell to his death. A wrongful death action was commenced by the decedent’s estate against the church. The church tendered its defense and indemnification to Western World. Western World disclaimed coverage, asserting that the church did not qualify as an additional insured under the policy. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Tred R. Eyerly, Damon Key Leong Kupchak Hastert
Mr. Eyerly may be contacted at te@hawaiilawyer.comFederal Court Upholds Uninsured Contractor Endorsement; Finds Duty to Defend AnywayNovember 04, 2025 — Craig Rokuson - Traub Lieberman
In the recent case of LM Ins. Corp. v. James River Ins. Co., 2025 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 189320 (S.D.N.Y. Sep. 25, 2025), the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York had occasion to interpret an Uninsured Contractor Endorsement in the context of an additional insured tender. After a construction accident, the owner and general contractor tendered to a subcontractor, DATO, who had hired plaintiff's employer, Star. Investigations later revealed that DATO did not have a written contract with Star for the work at issue. DATO's insurer, Arch, denied any obligation to provide coverage to all parties seeking coverage, including additional insureds, based on DATO's failure to comply with the "New York Limitation Endorsement," which requires that "you," defined to be Arch's named insured, obtain certain pass through protections from subcontractors for New York projects, including a written contract. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Craig Rokuson, Traub Lieberman
Mr. Rokuson may be contacted at crokuson@tlsslaw.com

---

Reminder: FOLLOW Your Well Drafted Contract Provisions

February 17, 2026 — Christopher G. Hill - Construction Law Musings
I have early and very often stated that your contract is the basis for everything relating to your construction project. Everything from “no damages for delay” clauses to attorney fees to indemnity are found in those documents. A well drafted construction contract sets the expectations for the project clearly and, aside from just making it easier on everyone for a successful project, will ease things should there be any dispute later. However, all of the great drafting and pre-construction negotiation in the world won’t do you a bit of good if you don’t follow those provisions. I can’t count the number of times that a contractor or subcontractor has read and even understood the construction documents but then put the contract in the drawer and didn’t look at it again. Your experienced construction attorney, while helpful at the drafting and negotiation stages and beyond, cannot help do the work. Your lawyer can help you negotiate and highlight the notice provisions of the contract but cannot provide that notice to the Owner or General Contractor when you have a claim. In short, the best contract in the world is Outer Banks Homes Collapsing Is Just a Taste of What’s to ComeDecember 22, 2025 — Mark Gongloff - Bloomberg
On Sept. 20, 2024, a four-bedroom, three-bathroom beach house in Buxton, North Carolina, in the heart of the Outer Banks, sold for $580,000. On Oct. 28 this year, the house, known as Mermaid’s Rest, collapsed