Client: Soil stabilization contractor
Type of case: Construction litigation
Court: Federal District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana
Length of trial: Two weeks
Amount in dispute: Approximately $45 million
The plaintiff alleged that our client, a soil stabilization contractor, had improperly constructed foundation elements that formed part of a shipyard being built in southern Louisiana. Our client counterclaimed that the plaintiff improperly failed to pay for certain foundation work.
The case went to a two-week federal bench trial in 2013, at the end of which the plaintiff requested $45 million in damages. Following extensive post-trial briefing, the court rejected the plaintiff's claim for defective work and awarded our client 100 percent of the counterclaim, minus a $375,000 mobilization credit to the plaintiff. The court further awarded pre-judgment interest at a rate of 18 percent annually, back to May 2009. After an unsuccessful appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, the plaintiff paid our client more than $1.8 million. Our client was thrilled with the result.