On behalf of Roeder, Cochran, Phillips, PLLC posted in business and commercial disputes on Thursday, April 25, 2019.
First came the claim approximately two years ago from a Richmond architectural firm alleging that it was not timely or fully paid for work it did on a hotel rehabilitation project on I-95 near Petersburg.
The defendant in that litigation filed in a Virginia court counters that the $150,000-plus demand against it has no merit. The C.A. Harrison Cos. development firm states that an alluded-to contract was never valid. It further contends that the architectural entity never billed properly for work it claimed it did, and that work cited as being done was never completed. The matter goes on.
That litigation is augmented by another lawsuit commenced this year in January against a Harrison Cos.-owned affiliate. That claim was brought by the engineering consulting company E-Com LLC and alleges contract breach.
And now there is a third filing, with E-Com once again bringing a claim against Harrison Cos. The third lawsuit — filed last month in Petersburg Circuit Court — is the most serious, at least in monetary terms. E-Com alleges a lengthy list of wrongful acts committed by Harrison Cos., ranging from nonpayment for services rendered to conspiracy aimed at defrauding Virginia agencies providing grant money. The engineering company seeks monetary damages exceeding $1 million.
There’s obviously a lot to sort through. A recent media report on the multiple lawsuits and attendant damage claims underscores that litigation-linked processes and complexity will undoubtedly “add to an already slow-going project.” The rehab scheme was first announced back in 2015, and is now well behind schedule.