The Retirement Home
Interpersonal conflicts can lead to litigation. In this this claim story, a project for a retirement home spirals into legal chaos.
Lowest Bidder Loses
Bid mishandling is a serious allegation. Learn how to preserve the integrity of the system and avoid this accusation.
The Level Made Me Do It.
How reliable is a survey? When a fire hydrant used as a survey benchmark is replaced by a new fixture, and a site is over-excavated as a result, who is responsible, and how does a seemingly minor 20 cm error in site levels lead to a massive $1.2 million lawsuit?
Out of Site. Out of Control.
A retrofit presents special difficulties. In this case, a bid document requiring x-ray vision was unreasonable and unenforceable; a stipulated sum contract proved to be the wrong vehicle for unknowable site conditions; and a failure of mechanical and electrical co-ordination created costly delay and chaos.
Going to Trial and Winning
Pro-Demnity sets legal precedent and defends the practice of architecture. Sal Knafo shares the highlights of a case where Pro-Demnity fought for the architect all the way to the Ontario Superior Court and won.
New: Speak with an Expert via MS Teams
Book your next meeting with a Pro-Demnity Risk Services team member online!
Claims and Legal team host first ever Legal Panel Conference
The Claims and Legal team hosted a Legal Panel Conference in late 2023. The first-ever event of its kind was a collaborative, resounding success.
Visual Evidence
It’s often been said that seeing is believing, and this is certainly true in legal proceedings. Ever since movies were first allowed into a courtroom, film and video have provided a reliable way of capturing reality and presenting it as evidence. Who knows how many people have been convicted or exonerated on the basis of images on a screen? In this episode, featuring two stories, Architects find themselves confronted by video evidence that may reveal either guilt or innocence. And neither is certain.
Poor Choices
It’s an infrequent mistake, but it happens: Consultants and projects are chosen unwisely, and the architect must assume responsibility for the consequences. In these two stories, those errors are about to doom the projects . . . until a second—extremely rare—phenomenon occurs: Fate steps in and saves the day. The odds of winning Lotto Max are about 33 million to one. The odds of your project being saved by blind luck are in about the same range.
Client Demands
Many architects will tell you that some of their greatest professional rewards come from their relationships with their clients, working as a team toward a common goal. But occasionally, these relationships break down, and what starts out as professional affection deteriorates into outright animosity. It’s a fine idea to make friends of clients, and even clients of friends, but remember: business and friendship can sometimes make poor allies.