Nearly a year before an ill-fated Kodiak tower crane collapsed on Manhattan’s Upper East Side and killed two workers, China-based RTR Bearing Co. sent an e-mail to New York Crane & Equipment Corp., saying, “We don’t have confidence on this welding,” referring to a custom bearing assembly the crane owner had ordered. But New York Crane asked RTR to perform the $21,860 job anyway, according to court papers filed in conjunction with the accident. Photo: Castro & Karten LLP Plaintiffs’ photographs show where swing bearing (top) snapped away from spacer ring (bottom). Even as personal-injury lawyers are now blaming Brooklyn-based
A federal investigation of impeached ex-Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) has resulted on April 2 in six indictments for fraud and extortion that include construction executives. Christopher Kelly, a roofing contractor, and William Cellini, president of the Illinois Asphalt Pavement Association, were indicted along with Blagojevich, his brother, his chief of staff and a lobbyist. Cellini was similarly indicted last October.
Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley on March 26 announced “final agreements” with two companies related to the July 2006 fatal collapse of the Central Artery I-90 tunnel plenum. Settlements totaling $1.9 million end civil claims resulting from the fatal accident. Section design firm Gannett Fleming Inc., Harrisburg, Pa., agreed to pay $1.53 million into a statewide infrastructure fund, $50,000 to the city of Boston and waived $150,000 in project payments. It also agreed to make clients and staff aware of a Federal Highway Administration technical advisory on use and inspection of adhesive anchors. The state also settled with Sika Corp.,
A 2006 lawsuit that alleged extortion and breach of contract by Alabama Power Co., which almost went to trial last month, has been settled for $38,000. Hand Contractors of Autaugaville had claimed quality-control inspectors from the power company extorted money and goods from the firm between 2003 and 2005 by "forcing plaintiffs to pay kickbacks." Threats of poor performance reports and loss of contract were allegedly used to demand $250,000 in cash and goods, including construction equipment, firearms, trucks and off-road vehicles. Hand Contractors, which had four to five employees during the time in question, had been hired to control
Chinese-made drywall is causing off-gassing and corrosion problems in Florida, prompting at least two lawsuits. Powerplant fly ash used in manufacturing the product may be a possible culprit. Photo: AP/Wideworld One major builder has fi led suit over problems apparently caused by Chinese-made drywall. Related Links: Lennar Lawsuit Class Action Complaint The Florida Dept. of Health has received 68 odor complaints from homeowners. Lennar Corp., Miami, on Jan. 30 filed a lawsuit in the Circuit Court of the 11th Judicial Circuit, Miami-Dade County, against several manufacturers, eight suppliers and 12 installers. The suit alleges the manufacturers made deficient and defective
A two-year legal battle that Hyundai Construction Equipment USA Inc. lodged against an independent Michigan dealer has resulted in a legal precedent that could deter machinery importers from bypassing original-equipment manufacturers and their networks of authorized dealers to make an extra profit from selling “gray-market” goods. Photos Courtesy of Hyundai Foreign decals (above) and scratched-out serial plates (below) made the imported machines illegal for sale by an unauthorized dealer. In a memorandum dated Oct. 21 and signed early this year, U.S. District Court Judge Harry D. Leinenweber orders Macomb Township, Mich.-based Chris Johnson to relinquish about $1 million in profits
In the latest chapter in the ongoing tri-state battle over use of the Apalachicola- Chattahoochee-Flint River basin, the U.S. Supreme Court on Jan. 12 rejected a petition by Georgia and declined to review a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia relating to allocation of Lake Lanier. Negotiations between Florida, Georgia and Alabama over the use of the basin date back to the 1970s and have led to tristate litigation and intervention by the Secretary of the Interior. In February 2008, the federal appeals court struck down a 2003 agreement between the U.S. Army Corps
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D) has withdrawn from his nomination as Dept. of Commerce Secretary in President-elect Barack Obama’s cabinet. In a Jan. 5 news conference, Richardson stated that an ongoing federal grand jury investigation into a state contract related to Governor Richardson’s Investment Partnership (GRIP) won by Beverly Hills, Calif.-based CDR Financial Products “would have forced an untenable delay in the confirmation process.” The investigation centers around a $1.48-million consulting contract CDR won in 2004 with the New Mexico Finance Authority, a state instrumentality that finances infrastructure projects by providing low-cost funds and technical assistance. CDR was part
Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley on Dec. 17 an-nounced that the state has reached a settlement with Powers Fasteners Inc. regarding the July 10, 2006, Interstate-90 tunnel-plenum collapse that crushed a car and killed a 38-year-old local woman, Milena Del Valle. The tunnel is part of Boston’s $14.6-billion Central Artery/Tunnel project, which was completed in 2005. The collapse of some of the new tunnel’s concrete ceiling panels has been linked to improper use of the Brewster, N.Y-based firm’s fast-set epoxy in the an-choring system. Under the agreement, Powers will stop selling the fast-set epoxy and recall all previous sales. The
Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley announced December 17 that a settlement has been reached with Powers Fasteners, Inc., Brewster, N.Y., regarding the July 10, 2006 Interstate 90 tunnel plenum collapse that killed a 38-year-old local woman, Milena Del Valle. According to the agreement Powers will stop future sales of its fast-set epoxy and recall all previous sales. The firm will also pay a $16 million settlement: $15.5 million will go to a state transportation infrastructure fund and $500,000 to the City of Boston. According to Coakley the deal closes out most civil and criminal matters resulting from the tragedy. In
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