Many subcontracts contain a catch-all provision requiring the subcontractor to do everything the prime contractor is obligated to do under the prime contract. This is known as an “incorporation” clause because it adopts or incorporates legal rights and duties spelled out elsewhere. Here is an example of an incorporation clause: “The Subcontractor shall be
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.
We recently reported on the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) decision in AttainX. As we explained, the AttainX decision is noteworthy because the GAO held that, notwithstanding the fact that a solicitation does not require examples from the joint venture itself or the individual members, the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) regulations require the agency to
The Texas Supreme Court recently provided new guidance in interpreting force majeure language in an oil and gas drilling dispute. In Point Energy Partners Permian, LLC v. MRC Permian Company, the court held that the oil and gas lessee’s scheduling error linked to a well collapse 60 miles from the lease site at issue
Last week we saw the Menard court reject the use of an indemnity clause to shift fees in a dispute between contracting parties. This week, a very recent decision from Nevada highlights another creative way to shift fees where there is no statute or contract provision on point: offers of judgment (see Helix Electric of
In Texas, many master service agreements (MSAs) related to the oil and gas industry typically contain provisions related to mandatory minimum insurance coverage and indemnity obligations. The Texas Supreme Court recently held the terms of an MSA may not be read into an insurance policy unless there is a “clear-manifestation” in the insurance policy the
The “American Rule” on attorneys’ fees is that each party pays its own lawyers, even if you win. As with almost any rule, there are exceptions. Sometimes there is a statute that requires the losing party to pay the prevailing party’s fees. For example, many states have enacted Prompt Pay laws that include a fee-shifting provision
The construction industry is full of valuable business information including customer lists, pricing information, project budgets, and more. The value of such information may be lost if it becomes known to a competitor or the public at large. That is why it is important to take steps to protect confidential information from disclosure. Such steps
A recent case out of Washington serves as a good reminder to preserve evidence that may be relevant to pending or future litigation. That includes not only evidence in the form of documents and electronic information, but also physical evidence. In Seattle Tunnel Partners, 2023 WL 2856616 (Wash. Ct. App. April 10, 2023) the
At least one thing has become clear since OpenAI’s artificial intelligence-based chatbot ChatGPT exploded onto the scene this year: AI is coming for every sector. Even beyond knowledge-based tech sectors – the front line for AI adoption – industries spanning the entire global economy have begun to consider the ways in which AI and other