ANAHEIM CALIFORNIA CONSTRUCTION EXPERT WITNESS
DIRECTORY AND CAPABILITIES

Are Robotic Coworkers Soon a Reality in Construction?

March 24, 2026 — Aarni Heiskanen - AEC Business
General-purpose humanoid robots are in the headlines, but is the hype justified? What’s the point of having a robot home assistant when it still needs a “guy behind the curtain” to control it remotely? Despite the challenges, robots, even those that look like humans, are seriously considered as future coworkers in business environments. According to the McKinsey report ‘Will embodied AI create robotic coworkers?‘ the idea that AI-powered robots will become general-purpose coworkers is grounded in real technological progress, but not an overnight reality. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Aarni Heiskanen, AEC Business
Mr. Heiskanen may be contacted at aec-business@aepartners.fi

---

Real Estate & Construction News Roundup (3/18/25) – Data Center Frenzy, China’s Expanding REIT Market and Tariff-Affected Construction Costs

March 31, 2026 — Pillsbury's Construction & Real Estate Law Team - Gravel2Gavel Construction & Real Estate Law Blog
In our latest roundup, relistings reached highest total in a decade, Florida State Legislature passes bill to increase the state’s housing supply, data center construction adapts to changes and more!

• The data center construction frenzy and a new, potentially larger highway bill were top of mind for builders during the latest round of contractor earnings calls and financial reports. (Joe Bousquin, Construction Dive)
• Tariffs and associated policy uncertainty have increased construction costs and delayed leasing and investment choices. (J.P. Morgan)
• Relistings hit the highest January figure since Redfin began tracking this metric a decade ago. (Diana Olick, CNBC).

Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Pillsbury's Construction & Real Estate Law Team

---

GRSM Attorneys Selected to 2025 Super Lawyers and Rising Stars Lists

January 06, 2026 — Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani
Super Lawyers® has released its 2025 attorney lists across various regions of the United States. This year, 189 Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani attorneys have been selected, with 60 named to Super Lawyers and 129 named to Rising Stars. *For attorneys licensed to practice in New Jersey: No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey. Please visit the Super Lawyers Selection Process for a detailed description of the Super Lawyers and Rising Stars selection methodology. GRSM Super Lawyers 2025 Northern California Michael D. Bruno David C. Capell Lisa M. Cappelluti Dion N. Cominos Matthew S. Foy Natalie Fujikawa Marie Trimble Holvick Michael A. Laurenson Michael J. Pietrykowski Andrew I. Port Gina Stassi Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani

---

John Palmeri and Peter Siachos Named to 2026 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America

February 17, 2026 — Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani
Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani is proud to announce that Partners John Palmeri and Peter Siachos have been named to the Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America for 2026. Their inclusion reflects their extensive trial experience, national leadership roles, and sustained excellence representing clients in complex, high-stakes matters. Now in its 21st year, the Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America guide honors attorneys who lead the profession through exceptional advocacy, dedication to clients, and influence within their firms and communities. Selected through yearlong research, peer discussion, and robust nominations, the guide recognizes lawyers who continue to shape the legal landscape at the highest levels. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani

---

Fraud Allegations Stymie Additional Insured’s Request for a Defense

May 14, 2026 — Tred R. Eyerly - Insurance Law Hawaii
The Federal District Court granted the insurer’s motion to dismiss the insured’s complaint seeking a defense of the underlying case alleging fraud. Renovation Realty, Inc. v. Colony Ins. Co., 2026 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21409 (S.D. Cal. Jan. 30, 2026). Mara Fortin sued Renovation Realty and others (“Fortin litigation”) from the fraudulent sale of a residence. The underlying complaint alleged Renovation “deliberately misrepresented of the residence as ‘completely remodeled’ and ‘meticulously maintained’.” The defendants, however, including Renovation, “knew from sources including a pre-renovation termite report documenting fungus and dry rot . . . that the Property harbored pre-existing material defects.” Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Tred R. Eyerly, Damon Key Leong Kupchak Hastert
Mr. Eyerly may be contacted at te@hawaiilawyer.com

---

Connecticut Expands Construction Wage-Theft Liability and Prevailing Wage Recordkeeping Requirements

June 29, 2026 — Anand Gupta & Guest Contributor - Construction Law Zone
This post was co-authored by Labor + Employment group lawyer Christopher Costain, Hayden Eckblom (Summer Intern), and Pasqualina Fox-Mina (Summer Associate). Hayden and Pasqualina are not admitted to practice law. On May 11, 2026, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont signed into law Public Act 26-12, a wide-ranging bill centered around employee rights. Our colleagues in Robinson+Cole’s Labor, Employment, Benefits + Immigration group recently published a legal update summarizing the key components of Public Act 26-12. Here, we focus on the Wage Theft and Prevailing Wage concepts in the bill that directly relate to the construction industry. Wage Theft With exceptions for public works and small residential projects, general contractors will be jointly and severally liable for any unpaid wages owed to an employee of a subcontractor of any tier on private construction projects, beginning with contracts entered into on or after January 1, 2027. As we know, there is a separate regime for public works projects involving payment bonds. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Anand Gupta, Robinson & Cole LLP
Mr. Gupta may be contacted at agupta@rc.com

---

Civil Megaprojects: The Evolving Use of Dispute Prevention and Collaborative Delivery Methods in Public Contracting

January 13, 2026 — Lisa D. Love - The Dispute Resolver
Civil megaprojects are large, complex ventures in civil engineering and construction that typically cost over $1 billion to construct. These projects generally have significant and long-lasting impacts on the economy, environment and society, and involve multiple public and private stakeholders. Typical civil megaprojects include infrastructure projects, such as highways, bridges, tunnels, airports, dams, power plants and public buildings, which require extensive planning, design, coordination and construction over an extended period of time. In the United States, there is over $500 billion worth of civil megaprojects in the pipeline, with an average of four megaprojects per month in 2024 and a total monthly value of $9.2 billion.[i] Here are some recent examples of civil megaprojects: The Hudson Tunnel Project (a portion of the Gateway Program), under construction in the states of New York and New Jersey, involves the construction of two new tunnels and the renovation of aging rail tunnels used by Amtrak and New Jersey Transit that were damaged by Superstorm Sandy along the Northeast Corridor. This has been deemed one of the most important infrastructure projects in the country. It is projected to be completed in 2027 at a cost of over $16 billion.[ii] Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Lisa D. Love, JAMS

---

Are “Financial Hardship” Damages Recoverable?

June 08, 2026 — David Adelstein - Florida Construction Legal Updates
In a case out of the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals, F.O.G., LLC v. Department of the Interior, CBCA 8203, 2026 WL 1191881 (CBCA 2026) a contractor claimed damages that included “financial hardship” damages due to slow payments. The financial hardship damages included personal damages to the contractor’s president and his wife. Are these damages recoverable? Drumroll…The Board ruled that the contractor cannot recover such financial hardship damages. As it relates the personal financial hardship damages, the Board ruled, “Neither [the contractor’s] president nor his wife are a party to this contract, are in privity of contract with [the government], or are the beneficiaries under this contract. [The contractor], therefore, cannot recover for any losses that either one has suffered individually and that [the contractor] claimed in this appeal.” F.O.G., LLC, supra. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of David Adelstein, Kirwin Norris
Mr. Adelstein may be contacted at dma@kirwinnorris.com

---