Photo of Todd Heffner

Todd’s practice covers all aspects of construction law — representing owners, construction managers, contractors, subcontractors, and designers. While he focuses on litigation and arbitration of high-stakes claims, he also spends time reviewing contracts, advising clients during the course of a project, and helping clients with all areas of their businesses.

Reposted from Solar Power World with permission.

This article explores practical steps a solar array owner or operator can take now to better position itself to make warranty-related claims five, 10 or even 25 years into the future. These tips are based on my experience over the past year, during which I’ve handled two solar disputes — one that culminated in a two-week trial and another that required a two-week final arbitration hearing. One dispute concerned the modules themselves; the other involved the solar tracking system. Despite the different technologies involved, there was a lot of overlap in the defendants’ litigation strategies, and the same practical lessons can be drawn from both.Continue Reading I Lived It: Litigator Provides His Perspective on Solar Warranty Claims

Reposted from The Dispute Resolver with permission.

A recent decision by the Georgia Court of Appeals, Munro v. Georgia Department of Transportation, highlights how overly specific and inflexible rules of evidence can create peculiar results.

Munro involved a dispute over the design of a Georgia intersection. No. A23A0404, 2023 WL 4194716 (Ga. Ct. App. June 27, 2023). The plaintiff alleged that the defendant improperly designed the intersection, never corrected that improper design, and failed to properly maintain the intersection. These claims were dismissed for a very odd reason: the plaintiff’s expert witness wasn’t old enough.Continue Reading Courthouse Reporter Series: The Bizarre Case That Required a 117-Year-Old Expert

Reposted from The Dispute Resolver with permission.

You are conducting the final hearing of a high-dollar construction arbitration. Opposing counsel hands you the next document that counsel plans to use in questioning the witness on the stand. You notice that the document is bates stamped but has no exhibit number. So, you quickly consult opposing counsel’s exhibit list and – gasp – you find that the document is not on the list. What do you do? Do you object?Continue Reading Opinion: Stop Requiring Exhibit Lists!

New York State Thruway Auth. v. CHA Consulting, Inc., 165 N.Y.S.3d 832 (Albany Co., Sup. Ct. 2022).

This case involved a dispute over a wind turbine project. The root cause of the dispute was a bust between the “wind turbulence” at the site, and the wind turbulence that the turbines installed could withstand. Once the project was completed and commissioned, the overworked turbines prematurely failed.Continue Reading Twists and Turbines — A New York Case Highlights an Owner’s Risk When Not Using Full-Wrap EPC Delivery