In Cochran v. West Glenwood Springs Sanitation District, 223 P.3d 123 (Colo. App. 2009), the plaintiff-homeowner brought a claim against the sanitation district alleging that its negligent maintenance of a sewer line damaged her home. Pursuant to the court’s factual findings, the plaintiff’s claim accrued, and she discovered her injury, on August 24, 2006. She […]
Colorado Construction Litigation Blog
On February 2, 2010, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals issued its decision in AIMCO v. Nutmeg Ins. Co., 593 F.3d 1188 (10th Cir. 2010). While not a construction defect case, this case is very interesting and will certainly have an impact on the determination of coverage (and in particular duty to defend cases) for […]
Recently, Robert August suggested that I pick up a copy of Conflicts With Interest, a novel by Michael Ruddy. Having now read the book, I understand why he made the suggestion. Michael Ruddy is not just an author, he is a Colorado homebuilder who wrote a book about residential construction defect litigation. The biographical information from the […]
In an order by Judge Marcia Krieger, the homeowners in a recent construction defect case caught a lucky break. By way of background, Mark A. and Mark L. Hildebrand were the plaintiffs in a construction defect lawsuit against their builder, New Vista, and one of its principals, Richard Reeves. The claims against Mr. Reeves were […]
In a February 1, 2010 Order on Plaintiff United Fire’s Second Motion for Reconsideration, Judge Brimmer, of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado, dealt yet another blow to coverage for construction defect claims in Colorado. The court issued the order in the case of United Fire & Casualty Company v. Boulder Plaza […]
In Greystone Const., Inc. v. National Fire & Marine Ins. Co., 649 F.Supp. 2d 1213 (D. Colo. 2009), a contractor and one of its insurers brought an action against a second insurer after the second insurer refused to fund the contractor’s defense in construction defect actions brought by homeowners. Relying heavily upon the reasoning of […]
In General Security Indemnity Co. of Arizona v. Mountain States Mut. Cas. Co., 205 P.3d 529 (Colo. App. 2009), a framing subcontractor’s insurer brought a contribution and indemnification action against a sub-subcontractor’s commercial general liability insurers. The framer’s carrier sought relief for the sub-sub’s insurer’s failure to fund the framing subcontractor’s defense costs related to […]
In Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. v. Holmes, 193 P.3d 821 (Colo. 2008), a homeowner brought an action against the manufacturer of a defective Entran II hose used in an embedded heating system. The homeowner sought to recover the cost of replacing the entire heating system. The rubber hose that was part of the system […]
In Thermo Development, Inc. v. Central Masonry Corp., 195 P.3d 1166 (Colo. App. 2008), the developers brought an action for contribution and indemnity against masonry and plaster subcontractors upon settling a water intrusion claim asserted by a condominium owner and condominium association. The developers argued that C.R.S. § 13-80-104(1)(b)(II)(B) permitted them to file claims against […]
For those of you not glued to your computer screens watching the streaming coverage of the first day of the sixty-seventh Colorado General Assembly, Senator Morse introduced SB 10-045, “A bill for an act concerning increasing the rights of homeowners, and, in connection therewith, enacting the ‘Homeowner Protection Act of 2010.’” The bill was assigned […]
