Tampa Partner Stephen Stukey and Associate Kimberly Canals obtained a complete defense verdict on a case which involved the design and construction of a distillery in St. Petersburg. In 2013, the owner jumped into the business with no experience with a lot of old, used equipment and hired a mechanical contractor to install and pipe it.
The distillery hired a contractor to replicate an existing distillery by installing used, pre-purchased equipment. CSK’s client, a mechanical engineer, was hired by the contractor to review piping plans for code compliance and sign and seal for permitting. The distillery maintained this constituted design of the distillation process and that it suffered damages in the form of lost alcohol production and piping and equipment repair.
By the time of trial, Plaintiff claimed damages were in excess of $1.2 million and that Plaintiff reportedly spent over $800,000 in fees and costs. The jury ultimately found for the engineer and the contractor on all counts.
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