{"id":2121,"date":"2013-09-24T06:29:48","date_gmt":"2013-09-24T12:29:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/?p=2121"},"modified":"2013-09-18T09:30:07","modified_gmt":"2013-09-18T15:30:07","slug":"conditions-precedent-to-dispute-resolution-a-help-or-a-hindrance-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/conditions-precedent-to-dispute-resolution-a-help-or-a-hindrance-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Conditions Precedent to Dispute Resolution: a Help or a Hindrance?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Stanley A. Martin &#8211; September 9, 2013<\/p>\n<p>The AIA A201 General Conditions posit the architect\u2019s decision on a claim as a condition precedent to arbitration of that claim.\u00a0 A recent New York appellate decision demonstrates why this clause, employed as a roadblock many years after the dispute arose, should be modified by the AIA. \u00a0In 2013, a party has been told by the appellate court that it must submit its 2005 dispute to the architect before it can proceed to arbitration.\u00a0 Common sense has flown out the window!<\/p>\n<p>If not modified by the parties, here\u2019s how the A201 provides for resolution of disputes. First, the \u2018Initial Decision Maker\u201d (which normally defaults to the project architect) must render a decision.\u00a0 This decision is a condition precedent to mediation, and mediation is a condition precedent to arbitration.[1]\u00a0 Thus, arbitration cannot go forward, except for certain specified exceptions, unless the architect has issued a decision on the dispute or has failed to do so for 30 days.<\/p>\n<p>So a landscape contractor whose dispute arose in 2005, and who sought arbitration in 2011 (there is no explanation for that delay in the record) has been told in 2013 that arbitration is stayed, as the claim was never submitted to the architect for a decision.[2]\u00a0 One can argue that an architect\u2019s decision during the project will help the change order and claim process flow more smoothly, but there is no logic \u2013 other than strict adherence to a clause that no longer serves a useful purpose \u2013 to extend this requirement to disputes that continue long after the project has been completed.\u00a0 It would appear that this condition has been insisted upon by one party mostly to obtain leverage over the other party.<\/p>\n<p>This case arose under the 1997 version of the AIA documents.\u00a0 Although the 2007 version modified the dispute resolution provisions, and relocated those provisions within the document, the condition precedent terms remain.\u00a0 The current version provides that &#8220;an initial decision shall be required as a condition precedent to mediation of any Claim arising prior to the date final payment is due, . . .&#8221;[3]\u00a0 Unfortunately for the landscape contractor, the dispute presented to arbitration in 2011 surfaced in 2005 prior to final payment, so the same situation could have arisen under the current language.\u00a0 Many attorneys and parties choose to modify this clause during contract negotiations, and some courts have adopted a more common-sense approach to this situation for a post-project dispute.\u00a0 But the AIA should drop the never-ending condition on its own.\u00a0 Disputes should be made easier, and not more protracted, to resolve.<\/p>\n<p>via <a href=\"http:\/\/www.lexology.com\/library\/detail.aspx?g=6c5e5576-a767-47a4-bff1-abfa5fd26317&amp;utm_source=Lexology+Daily+Newsfeed&amp;utm_medium=HTML+email+-+Body+-+Federal+section&amp;utm_campaign=Lexology+subscriber+daily+feed&amp;utm_content=Lexology+Daily+Newsfeed+2013-09-16&amp;utm_term=\">Conditions precedent to dispute resolution: a help or a hindrance? &#8211; Lexology<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Stanley A. Martin &#8211; September 9, 2013 The AIA A201 General Conditions posit the architect\u2019s decision on a claim as a condition precedent to arbitration of that claim.\u00a0 A recent New York appellate decision demonstrates why this clause, employed as a roadblock many years after the dispute arose, should be modified by the AIA. \u00a0In&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/conditions-precedent-to-dispute-resolution-a-help-or-a-hindrance-2\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Conditions Precedent to Dispute Resolution: a Help or a Hindrance?<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[41,436],"tags":[42,80,79],"class_list":["post-2121","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-arbitration","category-dispute-resolution-2","tag-arbitration-2","tag-dispute-resolution","tag-mediation-2","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Conditions Precedent to Dispute Resolution: a Help or a Hindrance? - Advise &amp; Consult, Inc.<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/conditions-precedent-to-dispute-resolution-a-help-or-a-hindrance-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Conditions Precedent to Dispute Resolution: a Help or a Hindrance? - Advise &amp; Consult, Inc.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Stanley A. Martin &#8211; September 9, 2013 The AIA A201 General Conditions posit the architect\u2019s decision on a claim as a condition precedent to arbitration of that claim.\u00a0 A recent New York appellate decision demonstrates why this clause, employed as a roadblock many years after the dispute arose, should be modified by the AIA. \u00a0In&hellip; Continue reading Conditions Precedent to Dispute Resolution: a Help or a Hindrance?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/conditions-precedent-to-dispute-resolution-a-help-or-a-hindrance-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Advise &amp; Consult, Inc.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Advise-Consult-Inc-126949043996790\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2013-09-24T12:29:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@adviseconsult\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@adviseconsult\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/conditions-precedent-to-dispute-resolution-a-help-or-a-hindrance-2\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/conditions-precedent-to-dispute-resolution-a-help-or-a-hindrance-2\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0a11abe008083d5fb19c2b0feefe7bd7\"},\"headline\":\"Conditions Precedent to Dispute Resolution: a Help or a Hindrance?\",\"datePublished\":\"2013-09-24T12:29:48+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/conditions-precedent-to-dispute-resolution-a-help-or-a-hindrance-2\/\"},\"wordCount\":441,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"arbitration\",\"dispute resolution\",\"mediation\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Arbitration\",\"Dispute Resolution\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/conditions-precedent-to-dispute-resolution-a-help-or-a-hindrance-2\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/conditions-precedent-to-dispute-resolution-a-help-or-a-hindrance-2\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/conditions-precedent-to-dispute-resolution-a-help-or-a-hindrance-2\/\",\"name\":\"Conditions Precedent to Dispute Resolution: a Help or a Hindrance? 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