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Construction Litigation
Construction disputes are document cases: the contract, the change orders, the pay applications, and the punch list usually decide them before a jury does.
The Approach
The project file is the case. We build it or break it.
We represent owners, general contractors, and subcontractors, on both sides of defect, delay, and payment disputes. Working every seat at the table teaches you how each one documents a project, and where the gaps are when the relationship fails.
Georgia lien law is powerful and unforgiving: a claim of lien generally must be filed within 90 days of the last labor or materials, and the deadlines that follow are just as strict. For contractors, the lien and bond claim are leverage that must be preserved before negotiation starts. For owners, a defective lien is an opening.
Defect cases rise and fall on experts: standard of care, causation, and cost of repair. We retain them early and build the technical record while the project is still fresh, because photographs and daily logs win these cases more often than testimony.
What we handle
Project disputes we handle.
- Construction defectsDesign and workmanship claims, built on experts and the project record.
- Payment disputes & liensClaims of lien, lien defense, and the deadlines that control both.
- Delay & disruption claimsSchedule damage, acceleration, and who actually caused the slide.
- Contract terminationsDefault and convenience terminations, and the fallout from each.
- Bond claimsPayment and performance bond claims on public and private work.
- Owner-builder disputesResidential and commercial projects that went wrong.
Questions
Before you call.
I missed the lien deadline. Is the claim dead?
The lien may be, but the underlying claims usually survive: breach of contract, quantum meruit, and bond claims where they apply. Bring the file in and we will tell you what is left and what it is worth.
Who pays for construction defects?
It depends on the contract chain, the scopes of work, and the insurance behind each party. Much of the early work in a defect case is mapping who owes what duty, and which carrier is actually on the risk.
My contract has an arbitration clause. Does that change things?
It changes the forum, not the preparation. Arbitration rewards the same thing trial does: the better-documented, better-prepared side.
Contact
Put a trial lawyer on your dispute
Tell us what happened on the project and what the contract says. We will tell you where the leverage is and which deadlines are already running.
Canton Office
101 Woodland Way, Suite 1C
Canton, GA 30114
Phone: (770) 693-8715
Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Florida office, by appointment:
1831 NW 33rd Street
Oakland Park, FL 33309
Request a consultation
Confidential. No obligation. We respond during business hours, usually the same day.
Criminal and civil matters go directly to Mitch Skandalakis. Prefer the phone? Call (770) 693-8715.