Many of our clients have inquired about what they should do when an employee contracts Covid-19. While the answer is complicated, depending on the circumstances of each case, here are some helpful guides from OSHA. You can find answers to …
Construction Owners
Court Addresses Damages Under Homeowners Insurance Policy
Court Addresses Expert and Lay Testimony of Damages Under Homeowners Insurance Policy
Woodrum v. Georgia Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company, 347 Ga. App. 89 (2018)
During a storm, a tree landed on a homeowner’s house causing damage to the …
Court Dismisses Cross Claims Against Utility Based on Construction Anti-Indemnity Statute
When a plane crashed and several passengers and crew died or were injured, their representatives sued several defendants, including a nearby plant owner, Milliken & Company (“Plant Owner”), based on claims that transmission lines on Plant Owner’s property were too …
Part II: Key Provisions of School Facility Construction & Design Contracts
The following article was written by David R. Cook, and was published 13 June by School Construction News. It is reprinted here with permission. Part I, “Key Provisions of School Facility Construction & Design Contracts,” was published 25 April.…

Georgia Bill Seeks to Limit Sovereign Immunity
State and local governments enjoy the protection of sovereign immunity. It may be waived only by a constitutional amendment or by act of the legislature. As discussed in a prior post, it is so broad that it cannot be …
County Sovereign Immunity Invokes Change-Order Ordinance
The recent case of Fulton County v. Soco Contracting Company, Inc. addresses two very interesting questions for local government attorneys. First, can a county ordinance bolster a defense of sovereign immunity against a contractor’s claims? Second, can a county waive …
Difficult Problems in Public Works, Bidding, Procurement, and Contracting
AHC Attorney David Cook recently presented to the Institute for City and County Attorneys in Athens, Georgia on September 15, 2017, concerning “Difficult Problems in Public Works, Bidding, Procurement, and Contracting.” It is helpful for local governments to periodically review …
U.S. State Adoption of the National Electrical Code
From the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) website; ESFI.org.
What is the National Electrical Code?
Did you know that as of 2017, there have been 15 revisions of The National Electrical Code since 1975, the year the …
City Potentially Liable for Cost Overrun on Not-to-Exceed Public Works Contract
On a public works construction project, a contractor incurred additional costs and asserted a claim against the city. The city denied the claim because the contract had a not-to-exceed price, and the city council and mayor did not approve contract …
Georgia Supreme Court Addresses Presentment Requirement for Outside County Attorneys
Yesterday the Georgia Supreme Court just addressed the presentment requirement — the 12-month deadline to present a claim to a county. The Georgia Court of Appeals had previously ruled that presentment of a claim to an county’s outside attorney is …