Chris Opalinski's litigation practice involves a broad range of commercial disputes with a concentration in the area of construction law. Chris represents owners, developers, design professionals, prime contractors, subcontractors, material and equipment suppliers and sureties in both the public and private sectors, nationally and internationally, on all types of construction claims before various state and federal courts and arbitration panels. He has extensive experience drafting construction contracts, advising on contract administration and project management matters and handling cases involving all types of direct and indirect cost claims, including claims for delay, acceleration, loss of productivity, default, termination, extra work, defective specifications, design errors and omissions, differing site conditions, bid protests, mechanics lien and payment and performance bond claims. Chris serves on the Firm's Executive Committee and is a member of the Firm's Board of Directors. Chris also has a broad range of experience in a variety of commercial and business litigation, including misappropriation of trade secret, unfair competition, breach of contract and real estate disputes. Representative Matters · Representation of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania before the Pennsylvania Board of Claims relating to the State Capitol Addition project involving delay and impact claims by the design professional, five separate prime contractors, numerous subcontractors and a claim of first impression for indemnity and contribution for payments made for delays and disruptions; · A loss of productivity and lost profits claim in excess of $85 million on behalf of an industrial dismantling contractor relating to numerous steel mill dismantling projects across the eastern part of the United States; · A two-week jury trial involving a delay and extra work claim on behalf of the general contractor relating to the construction of a luxury high-rise condominium complex in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, resulting in a $550,000 award by the jury; · Representation of the mechanical subcontractor in a nine-month trial (the longest trial in the history of Allegheny County) over a delay and impact claim relating to the construction of a continuous galvanizing line, resulting in a $3.6 million recovery and a $460,000 award of attorneys' fees; · A $2 million jury award against the City of Youngstown, Ohio, relating to the city's misappropriation of ballast and slag in connection with a client's purchase of an abandoned rail line; · A $2.8 million recovery and a $1.9 million award of attorneys' fees, penalty interest and regular interest on behalf of the general contractor in a month-long trial against the Board of Public Education of the City of Pittsburgh relating to the construction of the Westinghouse High School; · A $2.4 million recovery and a $850,000 award of attorneys' fees on behalf of a pipeline contractor against a gas utility on a claim involving the breach of three blanket utility contracts and an oral settlement agreement; · A $21 million recovery, including $20 million in punitive damages, after a three-week jury trial in federal court, on behalf of a lessor of underground coal mining equipment against its general liability insurance carrier relating to the loss of the mining equipment when the mine was shut down and then flooded; · A $750,000 recovery on behalf of the general contractor before the Pennsylvania Board of Claims for the delay costs associated with a five-month suspension of work and a differing site condition/superior knowledge claim relating to unsuitable soils, together with an $800,000 award of attorneys' fees, interest and penalty interest; · A $600,000 recovery before the Pennsylvania Board of Claims on behalf of the general contractor relating to a wrongful termination by the Department of General Services on the Physical Therapy Building at Slippery Rock University; · The successful dismissal on summary judgment of a $10 million fraud claim against an estate relating to an alleged improper accounting treatment of an off balance sheet asset; · Representation of an Argentine EPC contractor in connection with various claims asserted on Hydro Electric Power Plant projects in the Philippines and Malaysia; · A multi-million dollar settlement on the eve of arbitration in favor of a procurement management company against one of the nation's largest automotive parts suppliers in a claim for wrongful termination of a long-term supply contract and misappropriation of intellectual property; · A $3.1 million recovery after a several week jury trial in federal court in Ohio on behalf of hydraulic shear manufacturer regarding a misappropriation of trade secret claim; · A defense verdict after a trial in federal court in Houston, Texas on behalf of an international port crane manufacturer relating to the collapse of a crane at the Port of Houston; · A $1.5 million recovery after a several week jury trial in state court in Pennsylvania on behalf of an ammunition manufacturer on a misappropriation of trade secret claim against two former employees and a competitor; · A $400,000 recovery after a jury trial in Ohio on behalf of the general contractor in an architectural malpractice claim against a design professional relating to a design build subcontract for an Ice Hockey Complex for a prep school in Cleveland, Ohio. Professional Affiliations Allegheny County and Pennsylvania Bar Associations Construction Litigation Committees of the Pennsylvania and Allegheny County Bar Associations Panel of Arbitrators and Mediators for the American Arbitration Association Community Involvement Richland Township Zoning Hearing Board Member Special Recognition Selected for inclusion as "Best Lawyers' 2012 Pittsburgh - Construction Lawyer of the Year" Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America Selected for inclusion in Pennsylvania Super Lawyers Selected for inclusion as one of the "Top 50 Lawyers in Pittsburgh" by Super Lawyers magazine Articles/Speeches/Presentations · "Alternative Dispute Resolution," co-presented at Eckert Seamans' Continuing Legal Education Seminar, August 2011. · "Alternative Billing Arrangements," co-presented at Eckert Seamans' annual Continuing Legal Education program, August 2010. · "Arbitration or Litigation: Selecting the Best Method for the Resolution of Your Construction Dispute," and "Providing Greater Protection to Owners in Construction Disputes," both of which were published in Construction Specifier magazine. · "The Owner's Coordination Responsibility on Multiple Prime Construction Projects," published in the Tri State Real Estate Journal. · "Claims Detection, Documentation and Avoidance on Renovation Projects," published in Commercial Renovation magazine. · "Coordinating Multiple Prime Construction Projects: The Contractor's Perspective," published in the Associated Builders and Constructors magazine. · "Payment Bond Claims and Mechanics Liens," published in Construction Litigation. · "An Ounce of Prevention: Practical Advice on Improving Your Subcontract" and "Schedule Impact Analysis for Attorneys," published by the Center for Management, Development and Training. · Frequent lecturer at area colleges and before numerous trade and professional organizations, including presentations to Allegheny Community College, the Pennsylvania Bar Institute, the Allegheny County Bar Association, the American Arbitration Association, the TriState Construction Users Council, the Project Management Institute, the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America, the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Engineers Society of Western Pennsylvania, the National Business Institute, the Construction Specifications Institute, and the Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. |