In the April 2016 Newsletter for Division 7 of the American Bar Association Forum on Construction, Orlando attorneys Brent Bell, Sarah Donini Rodriguez and Jonathan Lawler discussed general contractor liability for personal injury to a third-party in “The Completed and Accepted Doctrine: Slashing the Liability Shield.”
The Completed and Accepted Doctrine essentially shields a contractor from being held liable to a third party if there’s a patent defect in the construction once the project is completed and the owner accepts the defect. This doctrine, while no longer applicable in several states, is still valid in Florida (Slavin v. Kay, 108 So.2d 466 (Fla. 1958)).
To read the full article and find out whether the doctrine applies in your jurisdiction, click here.