M.A. Mortenson Company v. Walt Disney Concert Hall, Inc.
Sep 06, 2006OUTCOME: Walt Disney Concert Hall Case Settles
Holland & Knight LAX Construction Team The team defended WDCH in the 19 consolidated actions involving some 29 parties. This week, the lawsuits brought by the construction companies that built the ... Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles were settled – some three years after the initial actions were filed. Since 2003, Holland & Knight has represented the California non-profit, publicbenefit company ("WDCH") that raised the funds, selected the architect (Frank Gehry), hired the contractor, and oversaw the construction of this much acclaimed philharmonic hall and new icon of Los Angeles. Bob Ivey, Alex Baghdassarian, Alan Watson, and Tom Quilling, all of the Los Angeles Construction Practice Group, represented and defended WDCH in the 19 consolidated actions involving some 29 parties. The contractors sought approximately $60 million in cost overruns. The cases were settled, after initial discovery and an extended mediation, for a WDCH contribution representing its estimated defense costs. Holland & Knight's strategy and success in negotiations were the keys to this successful result. An important contribution to the settlement was made by the professional liability insurer of the architect and its 22 subconsultants, none of which was named as a party in any of the actions. Counsel for Design Professionals Insurance Company (DPIC), the largest insurer of architects and engineers in the country, explained that this is the first time in the DPIC's history that it has paid money to settle a lawsuit in which its insureds were not parties.
