Construction
Nov. 13, 2026
A driver's commute, a contractor's problem?
Did the duty arise from an unpermitted truck staging area or turn on a negligent driver's commute? In Lorenzo, framing the question makes picking a side difficult.
Garret D. Murai
Partner
Nomos LLP
Email: gmurai@nomosllp.com
Garret is the editor of the California Construction Law Blog at www.calconstructionlawblog.com.
Sometimes an answer depends on how you frame the question. In Lorenzo v. Calex Engineering, Inc., 110 Cal.App.5th 49 (2025), the 2nd District Court of Appeal, in a divided opinion, reversed a motion for summary judgment granted in favor of an owner and its contractors in a case involving the deaths of two minors struck by a dump truck en route to an unpermitted off-site staging area.
The Lorenzo case
Owner Core/Related Grand Avenue Owner, ...
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