Anaheim California Construction Expert Witness Directory

Fort Lauderdale Associate Secures Summary Judgment in Rare Premises Liability Win

February 23, 2026 — Lewis Brisbois Newsroom
Fort Lauderdale associate Kyle Hollander recently secured a summary judgment victory for his client, Winn-Dixie, in a contested premises liability case. This was a hotly disputed liability case of water on the floor near an ice cooler with surveillance footage of a customer constantly bringing bags of ice to and from the cooler to the register. The plaintiff unknowingly stepped into the area of dripped melted ice and fell. Kyle successfully argued based on the plaintiff’s own deposition testimony and the surveillance footage that Winn-Dixie didn’t have the requisite actual notice. Additionally, Kyle argued that the brief duration the condition remained on the floor was legally insufficient to establish constructive notice under Florida law. The Court agreed, finding that the evidence would not survive a directed verdict and granting summary judgment in favor of the defense. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Lewis Brisbois

Cross-Office Team Secures Litigation Stay and Order of Arbitration on Behalf of Hotel Developer

February 17, 2026 — Lewis Brisbois Newsroom
New York Partner Minyao Wang, Chicago Partner Bryan Sugar, and Denver/Washington, D.C. Partner Christopher Wood secured a victory on behalf of Lewis Brisbois’ client, a hotel developer, when the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois granted the client’s motion to dismiss and ordered the parties to proceed to arbitration. In this matter, the 39 plaintiffs, represented by a New York based law firm that focuses on EB-5 litigation against high-end real estate developers, were foreign nationals living in China or Taiwan who were seeking EB-5 visas and invested in a lending company. The lending company loaned money to entities that were managing a project that involved renovating a hotel and constructing a mixed-use tower in downtown Chicago. Disputes developed among the parties. The foreign investors organized informally and ultimately filed suit against Lewis Brisbois’ client, alleging claims of breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract, conversion, and conspiracy, as well as aiding and abetting conversion. The defendants faced exposure of at least $20 million. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Lewis Brisbois

Jurisdiction Over Foreign Manufacturers in Construction Litigation

May 14, 2026 — Timothy J. Repass & Miki J. Saito - Wood Smith Henning Berman
A recent decision from the Washington Court of Appeals provides important guidance on personal jurisdiction over foreign product manufacturers in construction and infrastructure litigation. In King County v. Aquatherm GmbH, No. 85572-7-I (Wash.Ct. App.Div.I)(unpublished), the court addressed whether a German manufacturer could be sued in Washington for alleged defects in piping used in major public infrastructure projects. The ruling offers a detailed, fact-driven roadmap for how Washington courts evaluate jurisdiction over foreign manufacturers operating through layered distribution networks. It also reflects a broader trend toward focusing on real-world commercial conduct rather than formal corporate structure. Background of the Case King County sued after widespread failures in polypropylene piping installed at the King County Correctional Facility. The pipe, manufactured by Aquatherm GmbH in Germany, was marketed, distributed, and installed through a network of U.S.-based entities. Following a six-week trial, the jury returned a verdict exceeding $18 million on claims under the Washington Product Liability Act and Consumer Protection Act. Aquatherm challenged, among other things, the trial court's exercise of personal jurisdiction. Reprinted courtesy of Timothy J. Repass, Wood Smith Henning Berman and Miki J. Saito, Wood Smith Henning Berman Mr. Repass may be contacted at trepass@wshblaw.com Ms. Saito may be contacted at msaito@wshblaw.com Read the full story...

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

California’s Retention Reform on Private Construction Projects

February 17, 2026 — Michael McKeeman - The Construction Seyt
Retention has long been a contentious issue in California construction. Traditionally, owners withheld retention of 10% from each progress payment until completion, arguing it was necessary to ensure performance, quality and timely delivery. Contractors and subcontractors, however, often struggled with cash flow, payroll, and material costs while waiting months—sometimes even years—for withheld retention. Recognizing the financial challenges contractors and subcontractors face, the California legislature passed Senate Bill 61 (“SB 61”), now codified under California Civil Code Section 8811 and effective January 1, 2026, limiting retention to 5% on private works of improvement, aligning with the public works standard in place since 2012. The law’s intent is clear—ease financial strain on contractors and subcontractors while still providing owners with security (albeit reduced) with respect to project completion. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Michael McKeeman, Seyfarth
Mr. McKeeman may be contacted at

White and Williams LLP Attorneys Recognized as PA and DE Super Lawyers

July 06, 2026 — White and Williams LLP
White and Williams LLP is proud to announce that eight attorneys in the firm’s Philadelphia office and one attorney in the firm's Delaware Office have been recognized on the 2026 Super Lawyers® and Rising Star lists. This recognition highlights our attorney's exceptional legal acumen and their commitment to client service excellence. Lawyers are selected for inclusion in Pennsylvania and Delaware Area Super Lawyers® and Rising Stars through a process that considers independent research, peer recognition and the professional achievements of attorneys from more than 70 practice areas. Approximately 2.5% of lawyers in each state are selected by the research team at Super Lawyers® to receive this honor. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of White and Williams LLP

Chambers USA Recognizes GRSM as 2026 Industry Leader

June 29, 2026 — Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani
Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani has once again been recognized by Chambers USA, a prestigious directory of the country’s top law firms. In addition to the firm’s practice recognitions, eight partners, David Capell, Nancy Erfle, Matthew Foy, Ashlee Grant, Craig Heryford, Andrew Port, Todd Regan, and Angela Richie, were recognized among the nation’s top lawyers in their respective fields. Chambers USA recognized the firm in the following eight categories: USA – Nationwide – Insurance: Dispute Resolution: Insurer, Band 4 The firm is widely sought after by national insurance sector clients facing a wide array of coverage disputes as well as bad faith claims. The firm has additional capabilities in class actions and appellate litigation. Its broad base of experience includes professional liability, construction, and bankruptcy-related issues. This is the third year the firm has received this recognition. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani

New York Orders Moratorium on Large Data Center Permits

July 27, 2026 — Levi W. Barrett - Peckar & Abramson, P.C.
Levi W. Barrett, Co-Managing Partner of Peckar & Abramson’s New Jersey office, Co-Chair of the firm’s Construction Contracts & Risk Management team, and Executive Committee Member, was recently quoted in “New York Orders Moratorium on Large Data Center Permits,” an article written by Engineering News-Record (ENR). The article examines New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s executive order temporarily halting state environmental permit reviews for certain large-scale data center projects while regulators develop a comprehensive framework to address the sector’s energy demands, water consumption, environmental impacts, and effects on local communities. It also explores the broader implications of the moratorium for developers, contractors, investors, and other stakeholders, as well as the ongoing debate between economic development, AI-driven infrastructure growth, and environmental and utility ratepayer concerns. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Levi W. Barrett, Peckar & Abramson, P.C.
Mr. Barrett may be contacted at lbarrett@pecklaw.com

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