Originally posted 2013-01-01 10:00:19. In this economy, even the companies that provide bonding for construction companies may have financial difficulties, and even go into receivership. Recently, the U. S. District Court in Norfolk, VA decided an interesting case relating to an interestingly named project. In U.S. v. Western Ins. Co., the court considered the default […]
Aarow Equipment v. Travelers- An Update
Originally posted 2015-01-12 09:00:08. Previously here at Musings, I discussed the application of pay if paid clauses and the Miller Act. The case that prompted the discussion was the Aarow Equipment & Services, Inc. v. Travelers Casualty and Surety Co. case in which the Eastern District of Virginia Federal Court determined that a “pay if […]
Is Arbitration Okay Under the Miller Act? It Is if You Don’t Object
Originally posted 2014-10-13 09:15:01. I have discussed both payment bond claims under the Miller Act and alternate dispute resolution (ADR) here at Construction Law Musings on many an occasion. A question that is sometimes open is what to do when there is contractually mandated arbitration for claims “relating to the contract or the work.” While […]
Contractor Side Deals Can Waive Rights
Originally posted 2014-04-09 16:16:54. Here at Construction Law Musings, we are quite fond of the Federal Miller Act and it’s Virginia counterpart, the “Little” Miller Act. Both of these statutes allow a subcontractor or supplier on a government construction project the security to perform their work with the knowledge that a bonding company will back […]
Maybe Supervising Qualifies as Labor After All
Remember back in 2021 when I “mused” about Dickson v. Fidelity and Deposit Company of Maryland et al.? Remember how the Eastern District of Virginia held that mere supervision does not qualify as “labor” under the federal Miller Act? Well, the 4th Circuit recently weighed in on the appeal of that case and had some […]