Craig J.
Ledet

Construction
Recovered a nearly nine figure award for the owners of an 898 megawatt coal-fired power plant in central Texas after a month-long CPR arbitration in Atlanta, Georgia. During commissioning, the plant’s boiler overheated which caused substantial property damage and project delay. The contractors who designed and built the plant blamed the event on operator error. Owners proved that the primary causes of the incident were a defective boiler control logic design and contractors’ failure to provide adequate supervision in the control room;

Representing a natural gas pipeline company seeking damages from the designers and constructors of a natural gas pipeline in Georgia. The pipeline experienced severe external corrosion during construction which required that miles of the pipeline be replaced;

Recovered $7.4 million in Atlanta federal court jury trial on behalf of a natural gas distribution company seeking damages from a weld inspection contractor who provided defective digital weld images during the construction of a natural gas pipeline.

Represented the owner of a 185 megawatt hydroelectric power plant under construction in Peru, defending against contractor claims for costs and time extensions. Hearings on several preliminary issues were held before a Dispute Adjudication Board in London, England, after which the owner prevailed on all issues.

Represented the owner of a power plant in Osceola, Arkansas in defense of force majeure claims brought by its EPC Contractor.

Represented the owner in a dispute with its general contractor arising from the expansion of a refinery in Port Arthur, Texas. After several days of hearings, the case settled on favorable terms.

Represented the owner of an LNG facility in Texas in a dispute with its general contractor over Hurricane Ike-related construction cost increases.

Represented the owner in a AAA arbitration against an engineering and construction firm that provided defective mooring components for an offshore production facility located in the Gulf of Mexico, with the result being a substantial delay in project completion

Represented the owner in a dispute with the general contractor constructing the Topsides of an offshore production platform.

Represented the general contractor in a delay and cost dispute against the owner arising from the construction of a Pulp and Paper mill in Colonia, Uruguay.

Represented the owner in a lawsuit in Harris County, Texas against its general contractor over construction cost overruns arising from the construction of a new cement production facility.

Represented the general contractor in the defense of delay and productivity damage claims brought by a subcontractor on a paper mill construction project in Big Island, Virginia. At the conclusion of the two week-long trial, the jury returned a complete defense verdict.

Represented an LNG terminal owner in the defense of Hurricane Ike-related force majeure claims brought by its general contractor.

Represented the EPC contractor in a AAA arbitration in which the client sought to recover monies owed for the completion of a chloralkali plant construction project in Geismar, Louisiana.

Represented the EPC contractor in the defense of claims by the roofing subcontractor for the construction of Minute Maid Park who alleged that project delays and interferences resulted in increased construction costs.

Represented the EPC contractor in the defense of claims by a copper mine owner who sought reimbursement for cost overruns that it claimed were the result of construction inefficiencies on the cost reimbursable project.

Represented the owner in the defense of construction damages claims brought by its general contractor and subcontractor in connection with the construction of an expansion to its aquatic feed manufacturing facility. At the conclusion of a two-week trial in Brazoria County, Texas, the jury returned a verdict rejecting the claims of the contractors and finding that our client was owed damages for construction delay and unfinished work.

Represented an engineering and construction contractor in a dispute with the owner of a gas processing plant in Bolivia.

Represented an EPC contractor in a construction delay and cost dispute with the general contractor on a gas processing project in Kazakhstan.

Represented an EPC contractor in a construction costs dispute with the owner of a gas processing facility in Oklahoma.

Represented a major oil company in a construction dispute with a national oil company operating in Africa and arising from the construction of a large onshore oil and gas infrastructure project.

Engineering Defects
Represented an EPC contractor in two wrongful death lawsuits in Ohio County, West Virginia arising from a flash fire at a natural gas pipeline pig receiving and launching station.

Represented an EPC contractor in the defense of engineering defect claims brought by a chemical plant owner following the explosion of the owner’s phenol plant in Theodore, Alabama. The case was arbitrated for a week in London under ICC rules. Plaintiffs sought nearly $20 million. After the hearing, the case was settled with our client paying nothing.

Represented an engineering company in the defense of engineering defect claims brought by a group of plaintiffs who were severely burned in a plastics plant explosion and fire in Pasadena, Texas. The case was tried in Harris County, Texas for nearly six weeks. The Plaintiffs sought nearly $130 million, but the jury returned a complete defense verdict.

Represented an engineering company in the defense of engineering defect claims brought by a group of plaintiffs claiming to have suffered personal injuries during an ethylene plant explosion in Point Comfort, Texas. The case was tried in Calhoun County, Texas for four weeks. Plaintiffs sought nearly $4 million, but the jury returned a complete defense verdict.

Represented a valve manufacturer defending against allegations that a defective valve caused the rupture of a high pressure steam line in a power plant that resulted in two deaths, one serious burn injury and $15 million in property damage. The case was tried to a jury in Platte County, Missouri and resulted in a favorable verdict.

Miscellaneous Torts

Represented an oil company in the defense of a putative class action brought on behalf of more than 3000 putative class members who live, work or go to school in Bossier City, Louisiana and claim to have suffered personal injuries and property damage from alleged exposure to residual refinery contamination. The Court refused to certify a class.

Represented an engineering company in the defense of breach of fiduciary duty and theft of trade secret allegations made by an industrial turbine cleaning subcontractor. The case was tried to a jury for a week in Mobile, Alabama. Plaintiffs sought more than $23 million, but the jury returned a complete defense verdict.

Represented a general contractor in a wrongful death lawsuit brought by the surviving family members of a United States Army soldier who was electrocuted while serving in Iraq. The plaintiffs alleged that our client failed to properly ground the electrical equipment at issue. The case was dismissed before trial.

Represented a major oil company in the defense of a docket of more than forty legacy oilfield contamination cases pending throughout Louisiana involving claims of soil and groundwater contamination from historical oilfield operations.

Represented an automotive service company in various personal injury and wrongful death matters pending in various jurisdictions around the country and related to accidents involving vehicles serviced by the company.

Represented a major oil company in defense of groundwater contamination cases brought in Hidalgo County, Texas by more than one hundred property owners. The case was settled on favorable terms.