Clark Hill Secures Summary Judgment for The Hartford in $1.5 Million Construction Litigation

Clark Hill attorneys Mehrdad Farivar and Christopher Menjou secured a complete victory for The Hartford in a complex construction-related subrogation action arising from a major restaurant fire in Alameda County, California.

Following the fire, the restaurant owner’s insurer filed a subrogation action against the restaurant maintenance company and the general contractor responsible for the renovation project. The general contractor, in turn, asserted crossclaims against The Hartford’s insured, a food service consultant, alleging that it was responsible for the design of the restaurant’s exhaust duct system where the fire originated.

After the matter was reassigned to Clark Hill from another law firm more than a year into the litigation, the team quickly evaluated the case and filed a summary judgment motion shortly before the dispositive motion deadline. Clark Hill argued that its client owed no duty to design, install, or maintain the exhaust ducts at issue. The court issued a tentative ruling granting summary judgment, and after the opposing party declined to contest the ruling, it became the court’s final order, resulting in a complete dismissal of all claims against the client.

This result underscores Clark Hill’s ability to quickly assess complex litigation, develop effective dispositive motion strategies, and achieve outstanding results for clients in high-stakes construction and insurance disputes.