This is the first in a series of blog posts discussing lien requirements in states where we most frequently litigate and states with unique lien requirements. If you have any questions about filing liens, discharging or bonding off liens, or other lien requirements in these or other states, please do not hesitate to contact Aman
The corporate veil is a fundamental concept of American jurisprudence that generally shields owners and officers from the lability of the corporation. Unless the corporate veil is pierced or otherwise avoided, owners and officers are not individually liable for the debts of the corporation. Since this legal barrier was first invented, lawyers have been coming
A federal judge in New York served up a good reminder last week about the importance of dotting your i’s and crossing your t’s when it comes to perfecting a mechanic’s lien. The case involves a payment dispute between a subcontractor and general contractor on a police station renovation project in the Bronx.
The subcontractor
In an unpublished opinion, a California appeals court has upheld a subcontractor’s mechanics lien claim despite the subcontractor’s failure to strictly follow the procedural requirements set forth in the mechanics lien statute (see Ram Concrete v. Montecito, 2024 WL 1879352 (Cal. Ct. Appeal)). In Ram Concrete, the trial court entered judgment for the
Recently, the Oregon Court of Appeals reinstated a contractor’s mechanics lien claim notwithstanding the owner’s offer of payment because the offer was conditioned on the contractor signing a broad lien waiver that would have released other claims. See, Development Northwest, Inc. v. Zhiryada, 329 Or. App. 427 (December 6, 2023).
After completing its work, the
Another week, another fee-shifting case. This ones involves a 28-unit condo project in the Houston Heights neighborhood of Houston (see 2017 Yale Development, LLC v. Steadfast Funding, LLC, 2023 WL 3184028 (Tex. App. May 2, 2023)). The project failed after the developer defaulted on its loans and several contractors filed liens on the property.
In Alabama, a lien claimant must file a lawsuit to enforce its mechanic’s lien within six months of the maturation of the entire indebtedness in the Alabama state circuit court in the county where the subject property is located (Ala. Code §§ 35-11-220, -221, -222). But as an out-of-state owner or contractor, what if you
As many in the construction industry are aware, owners and lenders often require prime contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers to execute sworn statements and lien waiver and release forms as a prerequisite to payment. Many states therefore see it fit to regulate — in varying degrees — what those forms say and look like. Forms that
How can a contractor, subcontractor, or supplier secure payment for its work? One solution is to file a mechanics’ lien against a project’s property.
Lien laws vary widely from state to state and time to time because contractors and subcontractors frequently seek to change them – California is no exception. One particularly significant rule is
Chapter 53 of the Texas Property Code just received major updates for the first time in years. On June 15, 2021, Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law HB 2237. This bill makes many notable changes to Texas’s lien laws. The construction industry and construction lawyers should take note of these changes to the complex and