A surety client called Guardian Group, Inc.'s Surety Group when concerns about their contractor's delays and talk of liquidated damages began to manifest. The project was an expansion of an existing medical facility in Northern California; the addition comprised 60,000 square feet in a single  story. The building is structural concrete and steel, with an envelope of glass and stucco.   As...

Pursuant to a claim that had initially been estimated at as much as $12 million, Guardian's Construction Defect Group was hired by one of our law firm clients. In a high-rise, Southern California condominium tower, leaky showers throughout 600 units was the source of the dispute. Negotiations had ceased altogether, with neither party willing to cede any ground. Based on water leaks,...

As last year's storms demonstrated, catastrophes not only present near-term financial losses for insurers, but carriers bear the additional exposure borne of delayed reporting, customer dissatisfaction and potential litigation. Whether hurricane winds are classified by the Meteorological Society as Category 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, those in the property insurance business need a Tier Two forensic engineering firm standing...