Wisconsin’s construction lien law provides contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, service providers, and design professionals with a valuable remedy to help them collect payment for their work. On privately owned projects, the law allows these parties to place a lien against the project property as security for payment. The economic fallout from the COVID-19 crisis has made […]
Most Wisconsin construction contractors know that the construction lien law exists, but few know how it works or how to use it. With the economy reeling from the COVID-19 crisis, construction lien rights will become more vital than ever to businesses in the construction industry. Wisconsin’s construction lien law (provided in subchapter I of ch. […]
As owners and contractors feel the bite of shrinking revenues due to the economic slowdown, contractors are bound to see payment problems arise on ongoing projects. Contractors may find themselves contemplating whether to stop work on-site in response to nonpayment. At first blush, stopping work on-site may seem like a simple and obvious solution for […]
On Tuesday, March 24, 2020, the City of Milwaukee’s Health Department issued a written Stay at Home Order, which goes into effect on Wednesday, March 25, 2020. In general, the Order requires City of Milwaukee residents to stay at home, and requires all businesses located within the City to “cease all activities at facilities located […]
On Friday, March 20, 2020, the Evers administration issued Emergency Order #8 Updated Mass Gathering Ban. This Order updated and clarified Emergency Order #5, which had been issued three days earlier. Emergency Order #5 imposed “a statewide moratorium on mass gatherings of 10 people or more to mitigate the spread of Covid-19.” Under Emergency Order […]
Recently, Wisconsin Courts have handed down several key decisions concerning title litigation that deal with the issues of restrictive covenants, anticipated private nuisance, the statute of limitations applicable to foreclosure actions, and stipulated dismissal of prior foreclosures. Below is a brief summary of the most important of these court decisions. Restrictive Covenants The Wisconsin Supreme […]
Wisconsin has now joined a growing group of more than 20 states that allow electronic Remote Online Notarization (RON) of documents. On March 3, 2020, Wisconsin enacted 2019 Wisconsin Act 125, Wisconsin’s New RON law. The Act takes effect on May 1, 2020 and requires the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions to promulgate new rules […]
One of the central purposes of liability insurance is to protect the insured by providing a defense in the event of a lawsuit. But what defines the limits of an insurer’s duty to defend its insured under Wisconsin law? How is the insurer to decide whether or not to defend an insured in a given […]
A new Wisconsin law allows contractors to purchase materials tax-free for construction projects undertaken by certain tax-exempt government and non-profit entities. Under former law, such entities generally had to purchase the construction materials directly themselves in order to receive the Wisconsin sales and use tax exemption. Now, construction contractors may make tax-exempt purchases of construction […]
Does a Lender’s title insurance policy cover construction liens filed by unpaid contractors where the lender has discontinued disbursing its construction loan mid-stream due to insufficient funds to complete the project? In BB-Syndication Services, Inc. v. First American Title Insurance Co., 780 F.3d 825 (7th Cir. 2015), the United States Court of Appeals for the […]
