In an ideal world, an engineer’s involvement in a structure would end after construction is finished. But the reality is that many structures are subject to costly litigation or arbitration because of allegations of inadequate design or performance. Additionally, when a structure is subjected to extreme loading such as from an earthquake, insurance disputes arise regarding the source of damage and if the damage was caused by the earthquake, and who is responsible. This talk will review the types of legal disputes that structural engineers can find themselves in and how expert witnesses are used to sort through the issues and provide independent opinions. Several case studies on earthquake engineering disputes will be discussed, including: alleged reduction in the earthquake-resisting capacity of a building because of water intrusion; distinguishing between damage caused by earthquakes and caused by other actions following a large earthquake, the alleged insufficient earthquake resistant design of transportation infrastructure in a high- seismic zone, and more.

Please contact your university for the Zoom details for this lecture.