Case Studies
J.S. Held Acquires Shechter & Everett to Expand Forensic Accounting Capabilities for Family Law Disputes in Florida
Read MoreA frozen food warehouse in the Upper Midwest collapsed due to a late winter/early spring snowstorm. Given the site and weather conditions, the warehouse could not be stabilized and cleaned for approximately 10 weeks, resulting in the frozen food products thawing and spoiling onto the slab. The property owner claimed the concrete slab was contaminated and unsalvageable and needed to be completely removed.
J.S. Held was retained to evaluate whether the concrete slab was fit for use as a cold food storage warehouse floor and to directly rebut an opposing expert report claiming the slab was contaminated throughout and unsalvageable. Experts conducted an on-site visit to get situational awareness and determine the scope of the impacted area. Utilizing resources from our Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS) practice, including health sciences and industrial hygiene, as well as an expert from the Forensic Architecture & Engineering (FAE) practice, a sampling plan was developed to gather data to compare against the findings presented by the opposing expert report.
A key differentiating factor between J.S. Held and the opposing expert firm was that J.S. Held has experts in multiple fields who were able to collaborate effectively and define the slab's existing condition, how remediation and control were possible, and how the concrete slab could be rehabilitated. J.S. Held experts provided expert testimony at an insurance appraisal hearing.
The appraisal panel ultimately sided with our client, ruling that the concrete slab was fit for use as a cold food storage floor after rehabilitation and that removal of the concrete slab was unwarranted.
James Beix, MPH, REHS
Senior Project Manager
Environmental, Health & Safety Practice
+1 608 390 1291
[email protected]
Erik Fritzberg, RA, CBO, CFM
Senior Architect
Forensic Architecture & Engineering Practice
+1 412 293 3756
[email protected]
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Our forensic architects and expert witnesses evaluate property damage, building envelope failures, roofing systems, waterproofing issues, building materials, and construction defects in construction claims and disputes. Leveraging decades of hands-on experience in design, construction, and forensic analysis, our experts investigate architectural deficiencies, construction failures, and material defects.