Faced with a $6.8 million payment dispute and a cybersecurity theft on a critical $35 million automobile manufacturing facility project, our design-build client turned to us for help. The project, involving design and construction of a line for a major automobile manufacturer, was nearing completion, but the outstanding payment threatened our client and its relationships with key subconsultants. The cybersecurity incident added a layer of complexity, requiring careful navigation.
We secured our client’s interest by recording an approximately $6.8 million mechanics lien claim and by pursuing many legal remedies, including litigation against the project owner and its sureties, never losing sight of the value of preserving our client’s key business relationships and its desire for early, cost-efficient dispute resolution. We engaged in mediation and direct negotiation with the key stakeholders, fostering a collaborative approach to problem-solving, while our client completed the project. This approach, combining decisive action with a commitment to amicable resolution, resulted in a win-win outcome.
The modern system achieved completion, it passed the owner’s acceptance testing, was put into operation – and its designers and builders were compensated for their work. Our client’s key relationships with the project owner and its specialty subconsultants were preserved for collaboration on future projects in this tight-knit industry.
