Recently, in the Arapahoe District Court, the Honorable Michael Spear, issued an order holding that builders do not owe a non-delegable duty to homeowners. In Marx and Corken v. Alpert Custom Homes, Inc., et al., Judge Spear’s order came in response to plaintiffs’ motion for determination of question of law seeking a finding that the […]
Colorado Construction Litigation Blog
Often, those practicing in the construction defect field have faced questions concerning the joinder of a party. Recently, the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado weighed in on the requirements for joinder under the Colorado Rules of Civil Procedure. See Roche Constructors, Inc. v. One Beacon America Ins. Co., 2012 WL 1060000 (D. […]
Now comes another cautionary tale for builders and developers, especially those using single purpose business entities to handle individual construction projects. The United States Bankruptcy Court in Denver, Colorado, through the Honorable Michael Romero, provided an order regarding plaintiffs’ problems with a home they purchased from an entity controlled or represented by defendants. Plaintiffs, Kelvin […]
In D.R. Horton, Inc.-Denver v. The Travelers Indem. Co. of Am., 10-CV-02826-WJM-KMT, 2012 WL 527204 (D. Colo. Feb. 16, 2012), the court was asked to rule on Travelers’[1] motion to dismiss D.R. Horton, Inc. – Denver’s (“DRH”) claim that Travelers violated the Colorado Consumer Protection Act (“CCPA”). In the underlying construction defect case (“CD case”), DRH, […]
Your friends at HHMR are participating in the Social Madness Contest sponsored by American City Business Journals. This is a national and local contest with no monetary prize . . . we potentially will win bragging rights! To win these bragging rights, we will need your help and are willing to pay for it! The […]
Recently, this blog posted several articles regarding HB 10-1394, codified at C.R.S. § 13-20-808. As mentioned in those posts, C.R.S. § 13-20-808 has gathered an increasing amount of attention. Part of the interest is due to the ambiguous nature of how the trial courts are interpreting the statute. The following post analyzes the District Court […]
A potentially important legislative bill has been introduced in waning days of the 2012 legislative session, which would change many of the commercial practices that prevail in the construction industry. Senate Bill 12-181 applies to all building and construction contracts and would prohibit any contract provision that requires a contractor, subcontractor, or supplier to waive […]
Recently, the District Court of Weld County Colorado granted a motion for preliminary injunction regarding the enforceability of an arbitration provision in a purchase and sales agreement. Ms. Sue E. Otteman (the “Plaintiff”) signed a Purchase and Sale Agreement for a residence in Windsor, Colorado with Journey Homes, LLC (the “Defendant”). The agreement contained a […]
In a post on February 2, 2012, this blog discussed the case of Continental Western Insurance Company v. Shay Construction, Inc., 805 F.Supp.2d 1125 (D. Colo. 2011). Recently the Court ruled on two Motions to Reconsider filed by Defendants Milender White and Shay Construction. Procedurally, the Motions to Reconsider were ruled on by the Honorable […]
I was recently asked to write an article for the Common Interests magazine, the monthly periodical of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Community Associations Institute. In thinking about what I would say to community association managers, I came up with the idea of discussing those parts of construction defect litigation that get little coverage […]