{"id":2239,"date":"2013-11-11T06:58:11","date_gmt":"2013-11-11T13:58:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/?p=2239"},"modified":"2013-11-05T13:58:45","modified_gmt":"2013-11-05T20:58:45","slug":"patent-vs-latent-defects-in-california-construction-defect-litigation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/patent-vs-latent-defects-in-california-construction-defect-litigation\/","title":{"rendered":"Patent vs. Latent Defects in California Construction Defect Litigation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pieter M. O’Leary – November 1, 2013<\/p>\n

Determining whether a construction defect is patent or latent plays a significant factor in determining if a claim may be barred by a statute of limitations.<\/p>\n

1. \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Patent vs. Latent Defect<\/p>\n

Patent and latent defect issues arise in construction defect litigation. A latent defect is a construction defect that is present but not readily detectable even with reasonable care. Stated simply, a latent defect is a hidden defect. On the other hand, a patent defect is a construction defect that is \u201creadily observable or evident\u201d (not hidden). Although the difference between latent and patent defects may seem simple at first, distinguishing between the two can often be difficult and sometimes highly contested by the various parties in a lawsuit.<\/p>\n

2. \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Patent Defect Test<\/p>\n

The test to determine whether a construction defect is patent is an objective test that asks, \u201cwhether the average consumer, during the course of a reasonable inspection, would discover the defect.\u201d What constitutes a reasonable inspection in determining the type of defect is determined from the totality of circumstances. If a reasonable inspection would reveal only the manifestation of the defect, and not the cause, the defect is not necessarily patent (i.e. broken pipe resulting in mold). The question to be answered is whether the average consumer, during the course of a reasonable inspection, would discover the defect.<\/p>\n

3. \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Statute of Limitations<\/p>\n

The purpose of classifying a defect as either latent or patent is to determine the appropriate statute of limitations which applies to a particular claim or defect. A statute of limitations cuts off the exposure of builders, developers, etc. to construction defect claims \/ lawsuits after the passage of a specific period of time. If a defect is hidden and not detectable (latent defect), a longer period of time exists for the claimant to file a claim because he\/she would not know about the defect. However, if a defect is not hidden and is readily observable and evident (patent defect), a shorter time period exists for a claimant to file a lawsuit. In California, the Legislature has enacted a series of statutes that bar claims \/ lawsuits alleging defects in order to protect builders, developers, etc. as well as encourage construction. Additionally, the Legislature wants to encourage people to assert their claims in a timely manner to avoid old claims. Below are two examples.<\/p>\n

4. \u00a0 \u00a0 California Code of Civil Procedure \u00a7 337.15 (latent defect)<\/p>\n

For example, California Code of Civil Procedure \u00a7 337.15 (latent defect) says in relevant part that \u201c. . . no action may be brought to recover damages . . . to real property more than 10 years after the substantial completion of the development or improvement for any of the following: (1) Any latent deficiency in the design, specification, surveying, planning, supervision, or observation of construction or construction of an improvement to, or survey of, real property or (2) injury to property, real or personal, arising out of any such latent deficiency. \u2018Latent deficiency\u2019 means a deficiency which is not apparent by reasonable inspection. This section shall not apply to actions based on willful misconduct or fraudulent concealment.\u201d<\/p>\n

5. \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0California Code of Civil Procedure \u00a7 337.1 (patent defect)<\/p>\n

An additional example, California Code of Civil Procedure \u00a7 337.1 (patent defect) says in relevant part that \u201c. . . no action shall be brought to recover damages . . . more than four years after the substantial completion of such improvement for any of the following: (1) Any patent deficiency in the design, specifications, surveying, planning, supervision or observation of construction or construction of an improvement to, or survey of, real property or (2) Injury to property, real or personal, arising out of any such patent deficiency. As used in this section, \u2018patent deficiency\u2019 means a deficiency which is apparent by reasonable inspection.\u201d<\/p>\n

6. \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Conclusion<\/p>\n

If you believe you have a construction defect claim, you should consult an attorney immediately. There are various specific exceptions to the rules and it can be confusing trying to distinguish between patent and latent defects. Additionally, if more than one defect is present; multiple statutes of limitation can be \u201cticking\u201d at the same time further complicating the matter.<\/p>\n

via Patent vs. Latent Defects in California Construction Defect Litigation. – Avvo.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pieter M. O’Leary – November 1, 2013 Determining whether a construction defect is patent or latent plays a significant factor in determining if a claim may be barred by a statute of limitations. 1. \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Patent vs. Latent Defect Patent and latent defect issues arise in construction defect litigation. A latent defect is a construction… Continue reading Patent vs. Latent Defects in California Construction Defect Litigation<\/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":[4,172],"tags":[19,446,447,187],"class_list":["post-2239","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-construction-defects","category-construction-law-2","tag-construction-defects-2","tag-latent-construction-defects","tag-patent-construction-defects","tag-statute-of-limitations","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\nPatent vs. Latent Defects in California Construction Defect Litigation - Advise & 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\/patent-vs-latent-defects-in-california-construction-defect-litigation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Patent vs. Latent Defects in California Construction Defect Litigation - Advise & Consult, Inc.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Pieter M. O’Leary – November 1, 2013 Determining whether a construction defect is patent or latent plays a significant factor in determining if a claim may be barred by a statute of limitations. 1. \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Patent vs. Latent Defect Patent and latent defect issues arise in construction defect litigation. 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