Thoughts on construction law from Christopher G. Hill, Virginia construction lawyer, LEED AP, mediator, and member of the Virginia Legal Elite in Construction Law

Category Archives: Contracts

Default Should Never Be An Option

Every time I think that the construction industry has learned that failure to respond to a lawsuit is never the correct response, another case of default judgment comes out.  I’ve discussed on multiple occasions that failure to respond can only lead to disaster.  Aside from being barred from making any substantive response to the allegations

Another Reminder to Read Your Construction Contracts

Originally posted 2010-12-06 10:49:11. Recently, I came across another Virginia construction case that serves as a reminder that, in Virginia, the contract is king and that because of this fact, the contract will be enforced by its terms. In L. White and Company v Culpeper Memorial Hospital, the plaintiff contractor (L. White and Company) sued

Yet Another Reason That Your Contract Matters

Originally posted 2012-01-16 09:00:11. I have discussed on several occasions the fact that construction contracts matter.  The words in contracts matter and, in Virginia (as well as other states), most provisions, if not all will be enforced to the letter.  Recently, the Western District of Virginia federal court ruled in a way that reminded me

Reasonableness of Liquidated Damages Determined at Time of Contract (or, You Can’t Look Back Again)

Originally posted 2020-08-31 11:51:41. I’ve discussed the continuing litigation between White Oak Power Constructors v. Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Americas, Inc. previously here at Construction Law Musings because the case was another reminder that your construction contract terms matter and will be interpreted strictly here in the Commonwealth of Virginia.  The prior opinion in this

A Reminder to Get Your Contractor’s License in Virginia

A question I get often, particularly from construction contractors outside of Virginia is whether they need to get a Virginia contractor’s license.  The answer is almost invariably “yes.”  The next question is why?  The answer is almost always “Because state law says so.”  With some minor exceptions for material suppliers and the like, Virginia law