When you make a claim for negligence — whether it be from a fall on slippery property or your painting contractor tipping over a paint can in your living room (destroying your hardwood floors) — you can sue for compensation. That much is clear. But what happens your own insurance…
Serving a Security Guard, Enough?
A builder or contractor improving property can take a mechanic’s lien for non-payment for his work, as our Pittsburgh lawyers have written. Only, numerous technical defenses exist. For example, the property owner can strike off the encumbrance to title, if not property served with the action. Enter the parties in…
Judge Orders Builder to Pay $318K (Attorney Fees)
It’s often a long-shot in PA to get the opposing party to pay your attorney fees for civil litigation. Ordinarily, each party pays their own attorney fees in Pennsylvania. Only two exceptions exist. The first: the parties have agreed — via a contract — that one party must pay the…
Homeowners Get $3.2 Million Verdict | Developer’s Defects
What happens when you buy a new home — expecting it to be, well, new, and therefore problem-free — but you experience nothing but problems after moving in? This is exactly what happened when four families in Philadelphia purchased their residential homes in 2015. Noticing water infiltration problems upon moving…
NDA – Non-Disclosure Agreement Law in PA
Non-Disclosure Agreements and Confidentiality Clauses in PA One common question for a Pittsburgh lawyer is: are non-disclosure agreements enforceable? The short answer is yes, so long as the NDA is reasonably necessary to protect the employer’s interests, i.e., not over broad and unduly burdensome to the employee, similar to a…
The Booker Case: Breach of a (Missing & Written) Contract
Attaching a Contract to a Lawsuit As any lawyer will tell you, if there’s a written contract that a party seeks to enforce, the plaintiff suing to collect money for non-payment of the contract must attach the contract to the Complaint (lawsuit). In fact, Pennsylvania law requires the existence of…
Contractor Subcontractor Payment Act in PA
Collection of Payment for Construction or Renovation Construction contractors and subcontractors often struggle to get paid for their work on a real property. Collection Methods that Come Up Short Many attempt collection via a mechanic’s lien action — against the property. However, a mechanic’s lien fails to create a “judgement”…
A Claim for an “Account Stated” in Pennsylvania
What is a Claim for Account Stated? Our Pittsburgh lawyers often come across claims for “account stated” filed along side a count for for breach of contract. This happens when the debt collector claims numerous items that are payable (allegedly), such as interest, late payments, and other charges, but it’s…
Unjust Enrichment in PA | Pittsburgh Lawyers
A Claim for Unjust Enrichment in Pennsylvania A claim for unjust enrichment (or quasi-contract) exists in Pennsylvania where one party (the plaintiff) does something that unfairly benefits another party (the defendant). The defendant must appreciate the benefit such that it would be inequitable for him or her to have retained said…
Home Improvement and Commercial Contractor Disputes
It can be an exciting to construct or renovate a home or business, but unfortunately, these undertakings are complicated. Our Pittsburgh lawyers represent both property owners and contractors when disputes occur. We have experience and insight from both perspectives. Litigation is common for disputes between the property owner and contractor…
