On August 1, 2013, the Washington State Supreme Court confirmed that Chicago Title Insurance Co. (“Chicago Title”) was liable for the acts of its agent for violating the Washington State anti-inducement statutes. These statutes limit to $25 the amount that an insurer can spend to purchase prizes, goods, wares, or merchandise in connection with any…
Recent high-profile mass shootings have ignited a national debate about gun control and the limits of an individual’s right to possess firearms. While much of the debate centers on appropriate rules and restrictions for schools and other publicly owned property, the issues are no less relevant when considering firearm possession on private property. To be…
Katie Comstock’s video presentation, “How to Protect Yourself From Bad Contractors” is now a featured answer among the “Top Legal Questions from Consumers Planning Home Improvement Projects,” on Avvo, Inc., the web’s largest expert-only legal Q&A forum.
If a supplier of materials, worker, or subcontractor is not paid, a lien may be filed against your property. If that happens, you could pay twice for the same work or, even worse, the lien could lead to a lawsuit seeking to foreclose your home. Thankfully, there are ways to protect yourself from having to pay twice.
A public works project is as exciting to win as it is disappointing to lose. But a win is not always a win, nor is a loss always a loss – if the results are subject to protest and appeal. Public works contract selection is governed by a bid procurement process, ostensibly “a fair forum…
Because Homeowners Associations- for both Condominiums and Residential Communities- are staffed and run by volunteers, it’s sometimes easy to lose sight of the formal requirements that must accompany some organizational decision making.
Attorney fees are an important calculation in any dispute. While it may be worth a dime to recover a dollar, it is rarely worth a dollar to recover a dime. Often parties will anticipate the transaction costs of litigation and protect against them by including contract provisions for a “prevailing party’s” recovery of attorney fees. This can mitigate the cost of litigation, but also adds an element of risk.
An all risk insurance policy provides coverage for all risks unless the specific risk is excluded. For example, if an all risks homeowner’s policy does not expressly exclude flood coverage, then the house will be covered in the event of flood damage. Some exclusions may include “ensuing loss” clauses. An ensuing loss clause limits the…
