5 ways condo and co-op boards can prevent fake construction accident lawsuits
Herrick partner, Andrew Freedland, was quoted in a Brick Underground article discussing what steps condo and co-op boards can take to protect themselves from fraudulent construction accident lawsuits.
The article noted that a reputable contractor is a "building's first line of defense against construction accidents." Buildings should also keep a list of preferred contractors, electricians, or plumbers for building-wide projects and smaller jobs, if a shareholder or owner needs a recommendation for an apartment renovation, said Andrew. Boards should keep tabs on unreliable contractors too.
"If you have a bad experience with a contractor—whether an individual apartment renovation or something building wide—you should take that into account next time that name comes up," Andrew explained.
Lastly, when you see something, say something, Andrew said. The worst thing your board can do is not report an issue to your property manager—particularly if it might lead to a lawsuit later down the line.
"Work injuries and things like that in the building should be reported to management immediately," Andrew said. "If the accident occurred on Tuesday, and we don’t know about it, and then we get sued about it a year later, it’s much harder for us to deal with it."