A post on the Faegre Baker Daniels website asks the question: What does a contractor do when the owner stops making progress payments?

The contractor has two options: it can either continue to perform the work or cease the work, neither of which is a perfect solution.

“The owner’s failure to pay progress payments that are ‘clearly due and owing’ generally entitles the contractor to stop work until the progress payment is made. While this rule seems clear, it is not that simple,” according to the post.

The contractor should look to its contract with the owner to find answers to two questions: Does the contract require the contractor to take a certain action? And, is payment”clearly due and owning?”

Read the article.

Before entering into a construction contract, consider how force majeure events are evolving in today’s world, advise Jonathan Massell and David A. Senter of Nexsen Pruet on the firm’s website.

“In construction contracts, force majeure clauses include events such as “riots” and “acts of war” but courts have found that acts of terrorism did not fit those descriptions,” they write. “After the September 11th attacks, clauses utilizing “acts of terrorism” became more common, but courts have not directly interpreted the phrase and it has not been scrutinized judicially.”

Read the article.