VAN BUREN COUNTY TENNESSEE CONSTRUCTION EXPERT WITNESS
DIRECTORY AND CAPABILITIES

Additional Insureds Obligated to Meet Self-Insured Retention

October 20, 2026 — Tred R. Eyerly - Insurance Law Hawaii
The federal district court found that the additional insureds had to meet the policy’s self-insured retention before a duty to defend was triggered. Amerisure Ins. Co. v. Premier Design & Build Group, LLC, 2026 U.S. Dist. LEXXIS 170741 (N.D. Ill. July 31, 2026). Amerisure issued CGL and umbrella policies to Premier Design & Build Group, LLC. Amerisure had the right and duty to defend in certain suits for property damage under both policies. Premier contracted with MG East, LLC (MGE) to build three buildings. After the buildings were constructed, MG filed suit against Premier in state court, seeking recovery for allegedly defective installation of the roof, flashing, and gutters on each of the buildings. Premier had subcontracted with Tecta American Sough Florida, Inc. to install the flashing. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Tred R. Eyerly, Damon Key Leong Kupchak Hastert
Mr. Eyerly may be contacted at te@hawaiilawyer.com

---

New Survey Reveals Overwhelmingly Optimistic Results on the Use of AI in Construction

May 14, 2026 — Construction Executive
On December 5, 2025, CMiC and Dodge released a survey asking over 6,000 companies across various sectors of the construction industry their stance on artificial intelligence—whether they use it or not; whether they like it or not; whether they have or are planning to implement it or not; and so on. Considering its reputation for skepticism and reluctance when it comes to adopting new forms of technology, the construction industry pleasantly surprised CMiC and Dodge with its answers to these questions, with 87% of contractors believing AI will have a meaningful impact on construction. “The research indicates the construction industry is nearing a tipping point for AI adoption,” says Steve Jones, senior director of industry insights at Dodge Construction Network, who sat down with Construction Executive to delve further into the survey questions and answers and what the industry’s current position on them means for AI’s future role in construction. Reprinted courtesy of Construction Executive, a publication of Associated Builders and Contractors. All rights reserved. Read the full story...

---

The ROI of Estimating Accuracy in Preconstruction

September 15, 2026 — Aaron Kivett - Construction Executive
Precision is the foundation of profitability in construction. Even minor quantity or pricing mistakes can swing bids anywhere from 5-15%, leading to project delays, unprofitable jobs or margin erosion through change orders. And worse, these losses can damage client trust and jeopardize long-term relationships that drive repeat business and future bids. Consistently estimating accurately builds confidence, speeds up bidding and positions your company to win more profitable projects. Estimating accuracy is where profit is either protected or lost. In construction, you make your biggest financial decisions before a project ever starts. Once a bid is won, most of the project’s cost structure is locked in. If the estimate is wrong, no amount of execution can fully fix those mistakes. That makes estimating accuracy a business issue, not just an operations issue. Reprinted courtesy of Aaron Kivett, Construction Executive, a publication of Associated Builders and Contractors. All rights reserved. Read the full story...

---

Denis Serkin and Michael S. Zicherman Co-Edit/Author Lexology Panoramic: Construction 2027

August 03, 2026 — Denis Serkin & Michael S. Zicherman - Peckar & Abramson, P.C.
P&A partners Denis Serkin and Michael S. Zicherman served as co-editors and authors of Lexology’s Panoramic: Construction 2027 – US and Global guide. Formerly Getting the Deal Through, Lexology Panoramic provides members of the construction industry and construction-related legal and business providers with side-by-side comparison of key industry issues in 19 jurisdictions worldwide. Reprinted courtesy of Denis Serkin, Peckar & Abramson, P.C. and Michael S. Zicherman, Peckar & Abramson, P.C. Mr. Serkin may be contacted at dserkin@pecklaw.com Mr. Zicherman may be contacted at mzicherman@pecklaw.com Read the full story...

---

Understanding the EPA’s Latest Proposed Drinking Water Contaminant Monitoring Rule, Published in Law360

September 01, 2026 — Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed Sixth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 6) represents another step in the federal government’s ongoing effort to identify and evaluate emerging contaminants in drinking water. The proposal would require certain public water systems to monitor and report on 30 unregulated drinking water contaminants from 2028 through 2030, while generating occurrence data that could inform future regulation and affect environmental, commercial, litigation and risk assessments. In an article published by Law360, Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani Senior Counsel, Ayodeji Ayolola, analyzes the scope and practical implications of UCMR 6, including the contaminants selected, the proposed monitoring requirements for public water systems, and the EPA’s continued focus on PFAS and related organofluorine compounds. The article also touches upon the potential significance of publicly available monitoring data for businesses and property stakeholders. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani

---

Consider The Limited Warranty from Your Homebuilder

July 06, 2026 — David Adelstein - Florida Construction Legal Updates
When purchasing a home from a homebuilder, there is an important consideration when it comes to the limited warranty you receive around the time you close on the home. That limited warranty likely includes an arbitration provision requiring you to arbitrate your disputes, such as construction defect claims, against the homebuilder. That arbitration provision will most likely include all claims, including statutory claims (such as a statutory violation of a building code claim), requiring you to arbitrate, as opposed to litigate, your disputes against the homebuilder. This is an important consideration. If the arbitration provision does not allow you to arbitrate all of your claims, and eliminates your rights to legitimate statutory claims, the arbitration provision could be unenforceable. By way of example, in a residential construction defect dispute, Anderson v. Taylor Morrison of Florida, Inc., 223 So.3d 1088 (Fla. 2d DCA 2017), the appeal turned on whether the arbitration provision in the homebuilder’s limited warranty was valid. The homeowners took possession of their home in 2009. In 2015, the homeowners served a Florida Statutes Chapter 558 notice of construction defects that included a statutory violation of a building code claim under Florida Statute §553.84. The limited warranty included an arbitration provision that specified it was the “exclusive remedy” for all disputes arising out of or related to the warranty or issues with the home and property. When read together with the warranty’s disclaimer that precluded claims not covered by the warranty “whether in contract, tort, or otherwise,” the statutory building code violation claim could not be remedied through arbitration because it fell outside the warranty’s coverage. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of David Adelstein, Kirwin Norris
Mr. Adelstein may be contacted at dma@kirwinnorris.com

---

The Most Expensive Signature to Not Get: Why Change Orders Matter

August 16, 2026 — Kathryne E. Baldwin - Wilke Fleury
George Bernard Shaw has a quote we use a lot in my family: “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” This is pertinent to contractors and homeowners alike because the cost of failing to get proper signatures on documents like construction contracts, and particularly, change orders, is heavy. Both contractors and homeowners are in the same boat as far as wanting to complete a job as swiftly as possible: contractors go on to their next job and homeowners can return to peace in their home. This is prime territory for either party to suggest the work be completed today and the contract or change order executed tomorrow, or even later. However, without a contract, there is no memorialization of the communication between the parties, which can lead to confusion and missed expectations on both sides. Construction plans are rarely as neat and tidy as they originally seem to be. A contractor may uncover unforeseen conditions, an owner may request additional work or changes that require additional work, or weather interferes with project schedules or the work itself. Unfortunately, the signature that never gets collected can become one of the most expensive omissions on a project – for both sides. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Kathryne E. Baldwin, Wilke Fleury
Ms. Baldwin may be contacted at kbaldwin@wilkefleury.com

---

Federal Court Finds that Master Agreement Bestows Additional Insured Coverage

November 09, 2026 — Craig Rokuson - Traub Lieberman
In the recent case Triborough Scaffolding & Hoisting Servs. v. Sw. Marine & Gen. Ins. Co., 2026 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 226876, Judge P. Kevin Castel, who was also operating as finder of fact, held that a subcontractor master agreement covered a subcontractor’s work at a specific project, such that an obligation to name the prime contractor Triborough as well as the undefined Owner, bestowed additional insured coverage to Triborough and the Owner under policies issued to the subcontractor. The agreement at issue was dated December 15-16, 2017 and the accident at issue occurred in 2018. The trial evidence includes testimony from both Triborough and the subcontractor that the agreement was intended to apply annually, and the subcontractor could not recall the parties ever signing a project-specific agreement. Further, Triborough assigned work to the subcontractor by telephone call or texts on several projects, and without a project-specific contract. Moreover, no other operative indemnity or insurance agreement between Triborough and the subcontractor, other than a backdated agreement that was not applicable. Finally, the court did not find plausible that the subcontractor would enter into an agreement meant only to cover the final two weeks of 2017, such that the agreement extended into work occurring in 2018. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Craig Rokuson, Traub Lieberman
Mr. Rokuson may be contacted at crokuson@tlsslaw.com

---