Supreme Court Finds Economic Loss Doctrine Inapplicable to Contractors

Commercial painting and drywalling

Tennessee Supreme Court holds economic loss doctrine does not bar jury’s $3.9M punitive damages award in contractor-subcontractor dispute. In Commercial Painting Co. v. Weitz Co. LLC, 676 S.W.3d 527 (Tenn. Sept. 27, 2023), the Tennessee Supreme Court considered whether the economic loss doctrine applied to claims other than products liability. The economic loss doctrine traditionally precludes recovery in tort for … Read More

Economic Loss Rule Applied to Commercial Construction Contracts

Drywall mudding room under construction

The economic loss rule bars tort claims arising under construction contracts negotiated between sophisticated commercial entities. For years, the economic loss rule (or economic loss doctrine) has applied to limit a claimant to its contractual remedies and bar tort claims for purely economic loss. In fact, the Tennessee Supreme Court recently held in Milan Supply Chain Sols. v. Navistar that: … Read More