Oregon Supreme Court Provides Much-Needed Clarity on the State’s Law Regarding Whether Damage from Construction Defect Constitutes An “Occurrence”

Ali H. Jamwal | Saxe Doernberger & Vita The Supreme Court of Oregon recently ruled that a general contractor’s tort liability for its defective work may constitute a covered “occurrence” within the meaning of the ISO commercial general liability (“CGL”) policy, providing much needed clarity on the issue under Oregon law.[1] However, property damage arising solely… Continue reading Oregon Supreme Court Provides Much-Needed Clarity on the State’s Law Regarding Whether Damage from Construction Defect Constitutes An “Occurrence”

Oregon’s Building Performance Standards: ODOE Finalizes Incentive Program Rules

Stoel Rives Oregon is implementing a new regulatory framework for energy efficiency that will significantly impact the commercial and multifamily real estate sectors. As part of this new framework, the Oregon Department of Energy (ODOE) recently finalized rules regarding an incentive program for early compliance with Oregon’s new Building Performance Standards (BPS). In Brief: HB 3409, signed… Continue reading Oregon’s Building Performance Standards: ODOE Finalizes Incentive Program Rules

Exhaustion of Remedies: Owner Defeats Subcontractor’s Unjust Enrichment Claim

John Mark Goodman | BuildSmart A federal judge in Oregon has tossed a subcontractor’s unjust enrichment or “quantum meruit” claim against the owner because the subcontractor did not first exhaust its contractual remedies against the contractor.  Exhaustion of remedies is a common legal doctrine that generally requires parties to pursue relief in a particular order. In… Continue reading Exhaustion of Remedies: Owner Defeats Subcontractor’s Unjust Enrichment Claim

Oregon Supreme Court Expands Meaning of “Accident” in Insurance Policy

Blake Robinson | Davis Wright Tremaine Key Takeaways On February 15, 2023, the Oregon Court of Appeals issued a decision holding that a claim for breach of a settlement agreement did not trigger an insurance policy because a breach of contract was not an “accident” under the policy, even though the alleged breach was negligently… Continue reading Oregon Supreme Court Expands Meaning of “Accident” in Insurance Policy

Oregon Supreme Court Expands CGL Coverage for Construction Defects: Twigg v. Admiral Insurance Company

Seth Row and Cameron Zangenehzadeh | Stoel Rives Background: A Repair Gone Wrong and a Coverage Dispute Businesses and homeowners in Oregon often assume their insurance will cover a contractor’s faulty work. That assumption was put to the test in Twigg v. Admiral Insurance Co., 373 Or. 475 (2025), an Oregon Supreme Court decision with big implications… Continue reading Oregon Supreme Court Expands CGL Coverage for Construction Defects: Twigg v. Admiral Insurance Company