The Steel Team at GRSM consists of a dedicated team of attorneys representing steel fabricators of all sizes around the country.
The Steel Team, led by Angela Richie, is proud of its close-knit group of attorneys with backgrounds ranging from civil engineering to employment law, and who have extensive experience advocating for steel fabricators. The Steel Team has successfully taken on issues such as non-payment; allegations of defective fabrication and erection of structural steel; OSHA violations and related retaliation actions; application of Buy America(n) statutes and regulations; and contracts between steel fabricators, general contractors, downstream detailers, structural engineers, and erectors.
The Steel Team dedicates much of its time litigating complex claims in arbitration, state and federal courts, and other dispute resolution forums. The team has made a name for itself in the construction industry by diligently and efficiently representing steel fabricators on large construction projects such as stadiums, bridges, convention centers, metropolitan rail systems, hotels, and other commercial buildings.
Steel Team Successes
The Steel Team has been successful in a number of contentious lawsuits. Following are examples of the types of cases they have handled. This extensive, but non-exhaustive list shows the level of dedication that the Steel Team strives for in representing its valuable steel fabricator clients:
Collection of Outstanding Amounts Owed:
- Assisted numerous structural steel fabricators and other members of the structural steel industry with the collection of outstanding amounts owed for labor and materials provided to various projects located around the country;
- Assisted structural steel fabricators with claims for additional compensation arising from changes in connection design complexity, changes to or errors in the structural design drawings, and impacts and delays arising from changes to fabrication and erection schedules;
- Obtained payment of outstanding contract balances on behalf of contractors, subcontractors and material suppliers;
- Negotiated settlement on behalf of client in lawsuit brought in relation to one project under the Miller Act, and successfully resolved ongoing disputes on related projects, including resolution of delay claims and claims asserted by other parties; and
- Successfully defended client on summary judgment sought on back charge claim related to time and materials contract on stadium project.
Defects Delays and Acceleration Claims
- Successfully defended a steel fabricator in a multi-million dollar claim for alleged defective fabrication;
- Obtained summary judgment on behalf of client in relation to constructive acceleration claim asserted by sub-fabricator on stadium project;
- Negotiated settlement on behalf of client in relation to paint dispute;
- Negotiated settlement on behalf of client involving a cracked intumescent fireproof coating on the structural steel; and
- Represented structural steel fabricator and reached settlement in case involving default claim in a bridge construction case.
Contract Drafting and Negotiation
- Drafted and negotiated multi-million dollar contracts on behalf of steel fabricators with contractors (and joint ventures); and
- Drafted numerous down-stream subcontracts between structural steel fabricators and their erectors, detailers, structural engineers, and vendors.
OSHA Violations and Other
- Successfully defended numerous structural steel fabricators from OSHA citations arising from fabrication ship and jobsite fatalities, welding fume citations, and other OSHA Subpart R citations;
- Obtained summary judgment for a large construction company which resulted in the dismissal of personal injury claims covered by workers compensation insurance;
- Successfully defended a client in an OSHA dispute, resulting in OSHA withdrawing all of the citations and penalties originally assessed against the client;
- Negotiated settlement of insurance claim involving crane collapse, obtaining full reimbursement to client;
- Represented client and negotiated settlement in employment/non-compete dispute;
- Represented client in the successful resolution of a discovery dispute arising from subpoenas issued in employment dispute; and
- Represented structural steel fabricator in relation to subpoena issued in relation to project and challenged subpoena without production of documents by client.
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