Builders Beware – Construction Defect Litigation Still an Issue as Conference Rolls Around

Despite an ongoing strong housing market, builders are still reportedly having difficulty obtaining adequate liability insurance due to construction defect litigation.

Such coverage, when it is available, is reportedly more limited and more costly, and a major factor in constraining builders and their subcontractors from meeting demands. How are they confronting this crisis?

Attorneys from Newport Beach, California-based Newmeyer & Dillion LLP will participate in several panels seeking solutions to these challenges at the upcoming West Coast Casualty Service Inc. 12th Annual Construction Defect Seminar, taking place May 12-13, at the Disneyland Hotel and Resort, Anaheim.

“Wraps, OCIPS and CCIPS — the Next Generation of Insurance in Residential and Commercial Construction” kicks off the conference on Thursday, from 1:15 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. Greg Dillion, co-founding partner of Newmeyer & Dillion, will address the various strategies that builders are employing to obtain adequate coverage, including owner-controlled insurance programs (OCIPS), among other solutions.

John O’Hara, partner in the firm’s Newport Beach office, will address the intricacies of “The Cooperative Defense Agreement” on Friday, from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., focusing on methods to reduce defense costs in construction defect litigation.

A session at noon to 1 p.m. features partner Joe Ferrentino discussing “Carving Out Subcontractors from Settlements and the Impact on Subcontractors,” including the elements of successful settlement strategies in these complex matters.

Some 1,500 attendees are expected at the two-day event, sponsored by West Coast Casualty, a third-party administrator and independent adjusting firm, with headquarters in Agoura Hills, Calif., that specializes in the construction industry.

For conference information, visit www.westcoastcasualty.com, or call (818) 735-3595, ext. 112.