Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani Partner Tom Joensen, as first chair, and Associate Alex Scanlon, as second chair, successfully defended a construction jury trial in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
The plaintiff, a power and electric utility company, sued GRSM’s client, a site planning, excavation, pipework, concrete, demolition, and underground utilities construction company, after it cut an electrical cable leading to a bridge during a modification project. The defendant cut the electric cable, which was embedded in the concrete, directly over the 811 pavement markings indicating the location of utilities, resulting in thousands of households losing power and substantial costs for repair.
The defendant construction company denied any liability and also asserted a claim for comparative fault against the plaintiff utility company. The jury did not reach consideration of comparative fault, finding GRSM’s client construction company free of negligence in its entirety.
The team would like to extend its gratitude to its client for their trust and insightful cooperation, as well as the entire GRSM team, including Paralegals Peggy Rosky and Deniece Gaudineer, for their invaluable contributions in achieving this result.
This successful outcome highlights the strength of GRSM’s Construction practice in guiding construction businesses through complex legal issues across all 50 states.