Anaheim California Construction Expert Witness Directory

LA Fire Victims Can Pursue City Utility Claims, Judge Rules

March 10, 2026 — Jef Feeley & Maxwell Adler - Bloomberg
The water and power utility that serves the city of Los Angeles must face hundreds of lawsuits faulting its response to the massive 2025 wildfire that leveled one of the city’s premier seaside neighborhoods and caused tens of billions of dollars in damage. In a significant victory for fire victims, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Samantha Jessner concluded in a written ruling Thursday that a unique California law allows property and business owners to pursue claims that the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power failed to supply enough water to fight the blaze that consumed the Pacific Palisades area. Over strong objections from lawyers for the nation’s largest public utility, Jessner finalized a tentative ruling she issued last week concluding victims have a legal basis to move forward with allegations a city reservoir drained for repairs left fire hydrants with inadequate water pressure and helped the wind-whipped blaze get out of control. Reprinted courtesy of Jef Feeley, Bloomberg and Maxwell Adler, Bloomberg Read the full story...

Supreme Court Strikes Down IEEPA Tariffs: The Refund Process Will Be Messy

March 10, 2026 — Brett W. Johnson, Derek Flint, T. Troy Galan & Thomas Williams - Snell & Wilmer
Trump Replaces Architect to Lead $300 Million Ballroom DesignDecember 30, 2025 — Skylar Woodhouse - Bloomberg
President Donald Trump has tapped a new architect to help plan his $300 million White House ballroom wing, assigning the former lead designer to a consultant role in the high-profile and controversial project. Shalom Baranes Associates, a Washington-based architecture firm, will design the ballroom that will be built in place of the demolished East Wing, according to a White House official. James McCrery, who was previously named to lead the project, will remain in a consulting role. “Shalom is an accomplished architect whose work has shaped the architectural identity of our nation’s capital for decades and his experience will be a great asset to the completion of this project,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle said. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Skylar Woodhouse, Bloomberg

Reckless Disregard is. . . Well. . .Reckless

December 30, 2025 — Christopher G. Hill - Construction Law Musings
Punitive damages are hard to come by in construction law cases. This is because almost all construction contract cases are exactly that: contract cases. Between the So You Want to Build a Safety PlanNovember 18, 2025 — Construction Executive
As unique and nuanced as each construction project, so are the safety needs of each company handling the project. To learn how to tailor a safety program to your company’s needs, Construction Executive sat down with Tony Foster, senior EHS director at Skanska. From how-tos on getting started, creating buy-in and keeping up to date on OSHA standards, to taking advantage of the latest safety technology, here is his insider knowledge: What type of safety program is best for which kinds of businesses? (i.e. small vs. large firm; regional vs. national; architect and design vs. manufacturer; general contractor vs. subcontractor; etc.) The approach to safety shouldn’t change by project, no matter how big or small. The most important task is the project, but also making the people who are working on the project feel like they are a part of the program and can ask questions about any concerns that they have. There needs to be visibility of leaders on the project, and an open line of communication when it comes to safety on the worksite. Reprinted courtesy of Construction Executive, a publication of Associated Builders and Contractors. All rights reserved. Read the ful

Under Construction – November 2025

January 06, 2026 &

UPDATED: Dominion Sues Feds Over Offshore Wind Project Halt, With Action Possible on Others Shut

February 02, 2026 — Debra K. Rubin - Engineering News-Record
UPDATED: Dominion Energy filed a federal lawsuit Dec. 23 in Norfolk, Va. against the U.S. Interior Dept. immediate construction pause order for its 2.6-GW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind energy project (CVOW) off Virginia Beach, Va., which it developing to begin operation next year. The project is one of five large East Coast offshore wind projects under construction that the federal agency paused, claiming new "national security" risks. Dominion and OSW Project LLC, the entity that includes project co-owner Stonepeak Partners, a private investor, said they seek a temporary restraining order. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Debra K. Rubin, Engineering News-Record
Ms. Rubin may be contacted at rubind@enr.com

Tutor Perini Damages Trial Is Set Over Costly Philadelphia Hotel Floor Slab Problems

December 08, 2025 — Richard Korman - Engineering News-Record
Tutor Perini Building Corp. faces a potentially expensive damages trial next year after a Pennsylvania state court judge ruled in late October that the company breached its contract with the developer of a 51-story downtown Philadelphia hotel on which floor slab deflections delayed curtain-wall installation and added to completion delays and cost overruns. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Richard Korman, Engineering News-Record
Mr. Korman may be contacted at kormanr@enr.com

Snell & Wilmer’s San Diego Office Recognized as One of the “Best Places to Work” by the San Diego Business Journal

November 18, 2025 — Snell & Wilmer
SAN DIEGO - Snell & Wilmer is pleased to announce that its San Diego office has been selected as one of the 2025 “Best Places to Work” by the San Diego Business Journal, ranking 2nd among the companies on the list in the Large Business category. This recognition highlights outstanding companies in the San Diego region that are setting trends and redefining the employee experience. The list is compiled from top local employers that participated in a detailed survey conducted by Workforce Research Group and were evaluated on leadership, corporate culture, communications, and much more. “We are honored to be recognized as one of the Best Places to Work in San Diego and to rank second among the numerous companies in the region that fall into the Large Business category,” said Steffi Hafen, managing partner of Snell & Wilmer’s San Diego office. “This recognition reflects the culture of collaboration and opportunity we have cultivated in San Diego. I am incredibly proud of our team’s dedication to one another, to our clients, and to making a positive impact in the broader community.” Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Snell & Wilmer

California’s Fair Payment Act: What Every Owner, Developer, and Contractor Should Know About SB 440

November 18, 2025 — Matthew DeVries - Best Practices Construction Law
While most states have enacted various forms of prompt payment laws for construction projects, California Senate Bill 440, known as the Private Works Change Order Fair Payment Act, marks a pivotal change in how payment obligations related to change orders are handled on private construction projects. Signed into law on October 10, 2025 by Governor Newsom, its implementation will affect owners, developers, contractors, and subcontractors alike. Importantly, it sets clear standards for processing change-order claims, imposing decisive deadlines and remedies. The Big Picture SB 440, effective for private contracts beginning on January 1, 2026, establishes a formal claim resolution process for work stemming from change orders on private projects. Key provisions include:

A contractor or subcontractor may submit a claim (for a time extension or additional compensation) and the owner must provide a written statement within 30 days identifying disputed and undisputed portions.

Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Matthew DeVries, Buchalter
Mr. DeVries may be contacted at mdevries@buchalter.com

Risks of Using an AI Chatbot for Legal Advice: Lessons from United States v. Heppner

April 08, 2026 — Payne & Fears LLP
Imagine that you are an executive (who is not a lawyer) and are concerned about what your company plans to do is legal. You could call your lawyer who might bill you for the call. Or, you can ask your AI chatbot, such as Claude or ChatGPT, about the legal risk. The chatbot will likely compliment you on the incisive question, provide you with highly confident answer (that may or may not be right) and will not bill you on an hourly basis. That is essentially what financial services executive Bradley Heppner did. It did not end well. A federal court recently ruled that Heppner’s chats with the AI tool Claude were not protected by attorney-client privilege or the work-product doctrine. That means that the other side (in this case, the federal government) could get access to his chatbot prompts, uploads and responses, and learn a great deal about, for example, whether Heppner knew what he was doing was illegal. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Payne & Fears LLP

ANAHEIM CALIFORNIA CONSTRUCTION EXPERT WITNESS DIRECTORY AND CAPABILITIES