Mequon Construction Dispute Lawyers

Find the right Construction Dispute attorney in Mequon, WI

Construction Dispute Law in Wisconsin

Construction contractors and landowners in Mequon, Wisconsin sometimes end up in disagreements when a project that the landowner contracted for doesn't go exactly to plan. Truth be told, in any significant construction project, a few minor disputes are almost guaranteed.

Typically, contractors and landowners can resolve minor disputes amongst themselves, without having to resort to litigation. Frequently, construction contracts contain built-in remedies for mistakes and delays that can be easily corrected, such as payments to the owner for every day the project is delayed.

And even if disputes can't be resolved so easily, the courts still don't necessarily have to get engaged. For example, a construction contract may require mediation before any further action is taken. Mediation is a process by which a third party tries to guide the parties to the dispute to a settlement. The mediator cannot, however, render any binding decision. Another avenue is arbitration. This is where the parties go to a private arbitration service, which can render a binding judgment (usually enforceable through contract law, as the parties agree in advance to abide by the arbitrator's decision). Arbitration has benefits over litigation, as the parties can have a say in choosing the arbitrator (allowing them to have their case arbitrated by an expert on construction disputes, for example).

Litigation of a Mequon, Wisconsin construction dispute is never something that anyone wants to do. Nonetheless, there are sometimes no other avenues.

Examples of Construction Disputes That Might Lead to Litigation in Mequon, Wisconsin

Major Delays: If the contractor or a subcontractor is at fault in causing a considerable delay to a project (several months, for example), this may lead to a lawsuit. If the contract stated that time was of the essence for some reason (maybe the project was a new store that the owner hoped to open before the holiday shopping season, for example), a court can typically award the owner any damages that were caused by the delay.

Owner's refusal to pay: if the contractor finishes a project to specifications, and the owner of the property doesn't pay the contractor, the contractor will most likely file a lawsuit to recover the agreed-upon price. In such cases, the owner will typically argue that the contractor's work wasn't of acceptable quality. In these cases, the court must decide who first breached the contract. In these cases, it's the party who did not breach first who wins the lawsuit. If the court finds that the contractor breached the contract through sub-quality work product, the owner will not be responsible for payment (though he may have to pay for materials and labor), and if the court finds that the construction was acceptable, the owner has to pay, because he is the party in breach.

Subcontractor Disputes: When a construction company is contracted to complete a large project, there is typically a great deal of specialized work to be done which they aren't equipped to handle. As a result, they hire other contractors, who, in this arrangement, are subcontractors, to do some of the work. Nonetheless, the general contractor (the one that the landowner hired to do the work) is still accountable for the completion of the project - if a subcontractor causes a problem, the general contractor is on the hook for it. This sometimes leads to landowners suing general contractors for the mistakes of subcontractors. If the general contractor loses, and has to pay the client, the general contractor can then sue the subcontractor for whatever amount of money it had to pay.

Mechanic's Liens: A mechanic's lien is a way for a contractor to secure payment if a landowner declines to pay. In such cases, if the contractor sues and wins, he or she can sometimes impose a mechanic's lien on the property he or she just worked on. This permits the contractor to force a sale of the property to cover the judgment. It is usually used when other attempts to secure payment fail.

Can a Mequon, Wisconsin Attorney Help?

If you are involved in a dispute over a construction project, you should try to avoid litigation, and settle the matter as amicably as possible. However, litigation is sometimes imperative, and a Mequon, Wisconsin construction disputes attorney can be of great help.

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Life in Mequon

Mequon, Wisconsin is a city located in Ozaukee County. Its population is about 23,000 people. It was recently ranked very highly among the top 20 small cities in the U.S. to live in.

The area now known as Mequon was inhabited by various Native American tribes thousands of years before the arrival of white settlers in the early to mid 1800s. Around that time, about 20 German families established a sort of sub-community called "Freistadt" which means "Free City" in German. They came to the United States to escape religious persecution in their native land. The families were Lutheran, and Germany at the time was predominantly Catholic. They established the first Lutheran Church in Wisconsin. Freidstadt is now a neighborhood within the city limits of Mequon, Wisconsin.

Nowadays, Mequon, Wisconsin is a quiet, affluent suburb of Milwaukee. The median household income in Mequon is over ,000, and less than 2% of the population lives below the poverty line.

There are plenty of lawyers in and around Mequon, Wisconsin to serve the residents and businesses of the area. Mequon's affluence and proximity to a large city means that a large percentage of Mequon, Wisconsin lawyers are used to handling complex and sophisticated cases, making it all the more likely that a Meqon, Wisconsin lawyer will be able to take whatever type of case you are likely to have.

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