Estudios de caso
J.S. Held adquiere Shechter & Everett para expandir los servicios de contabilidad forense en litigios de derecho de familia en Florida
LEER MÁSWhen a significant fire occurred during the construction of a 32-storey high-rise residential development, the resulting property damage and delay claim quickly escalated into a complex, multi-disciplinary loss scenario. The contractor asserted that the incident necessitated extensive strip-out work across 21 of the building's 32 floors, caused a 26-week delay to project completion, and generated a total claim exposure of approximately £10 million.
For the insurer, the key questions were not simply about the scale of the cost being claimed, but whether the claimed damage, delays, and resulting financial losses were genuinely attributable to the incident itself. Resolving those issues required more than independent technical reviews; it required an integrated investigation capable of linking the physical consequences of the fire to the schedule impacts and, ultimately, to the financial quantum being claimed.
Step 1: Defining the True Extent of Damage
An interdisciplinary team of occupational hygienists, forensic delay specialists, and quantum experts was engaged to examine the claim from first principles and to establish a defensible, evidence-based assessment of exposure.
The investigation began with a detailed scientific assessment to determine the extent of fire, smoke, and water damage throughout the structure. Rather than relying on assumptions about the spread of contamination, the team employed multiple diagnostic techniques, including indoor air quality (IAQ) testing, smoke residue sampling, microscopy, infrared thermography, and moisture testing.
The analysis revealed a substantially different picture than the one reflected in the contractor's claim. While significant damage was confirmed on floors 14 through 16, evidence showed that the impact to the remainder of the building was limited and far more localized than originally asserted. Water-affected areas were deemed suitable for targeted drying and remediation rather than wholesale removal and replacement.
As a result, the proposed strip-out scope was dramatically reduced. The investigation demonstrated that only six floors required remediation measures consistent with the verified damage conditions, eliminating the need for extensive demolition across 21 floors. This finding alone avoided approximately £2.38 million in unnecessary strip-out costs and enabled a strategy based on partial reinstatement rather than wholesale replacement.
Step 2: Reconstructing the Project Schedule
With the actual damage footprint established, forensic delay specialists evaluated the contractor's contention that the event had caused a 26-week delay to project completion. Rather than accepting the claimed schedule impact, the team reconstructed the project program using the verified technical findings as the foundation for analysis.
The review examined the critical path consequences of the incident and isolated delays directly attributable to the fire from unrelated scheduling issues. Concurrent procurement delays and contractor inefficiencies were identified and separated from event-driven impacts. The analysis also evaluated opportunities for parallel working and continued progress in unaffected portions of the development that could have mitigated overall delay exposure.
The resulting schedule assessment demonstrated that the true delay attributable to the incident was significantly less than claimed. Activities that were not on the critical path were excluded, overlapping causes of delay were removed, and the program was recalculated based on the verified scope of damage. The analysis reduced the asserted delay from 26 to 14 weeks and eliminated an additional three weeks of unsupported schedule impact.
Step 3: Testing the Financial Claim
The final phase of the engagement focused on quantum analysis. Every element of the claim was examined against the verified findings from both the scientific and delay investigations to ensure that claimed costs were properly supported and causally linked to the incident.
The review evaluated issues including causation, reasonableness, cost duplication, betterment, and policy compliance. Claimed expenditures that could not be substantiated by the physical damage evidence or the verified delay position were challenged. Unsupported costs, overstated expenses, and non-incremental preliminary costs were identified and removed from the claim valuation.
Through this process, the team established a fully auditable and defensible financial position that accurately reflected the consequences of the fire event. The analysis reduced the claimed value from £10 million to a verified quantum of £5.672 million, achieving a £4.33 million reduction in exposure.
The Value of an Integrated Approach
The success of the engagement stemmed from integrating technical, scheduling, and financial disciplines into a single evidentiary framework. The scientific investigation established the actual extent of damage. Those findings informed the forensic delay analysis, which in turn provided the foundation for evaluating financial entitlement. Each workstream reinforced the next, creating a clear chain of evidence from cause to consequence and from consequence to cost.
By avoiding disconnected assessments and ensuring that every conclusion was grounded in verified facts, the insurer obtained a coherent position capable of withstanding scrutiny during negotiation and settlement discussions. The approach reduced subjectivity, strengthened reserve accuracy, and narrowed the scope for dispute while accelerating the path toward resolution.
Resultados
> Construction Insurance Claims
Contamos con un equipo especializado de expertos que han brindado servicios de asesoramiento y periciales en asuntos complejos relacionados con edificios e infraestructura que han sido dañados durante el curso de la construcción. Nuestro equipo de expertos globales cuenta con décadas de experiencia técnica en el campo trabajando para muchos de los contratistas comerciales más grandes del mundo. Tenemos experiencia especializada en análisis de retrasos, revisión de cronogramas, interpretación de contratos de construcción, revisión de costos de reparación, y estimación.
> Daños a la propiedad e infraestructura
J.S. Held brinda apoyo en proyectos como los reclamos residenciales cotidianos hasta pérdidas más grandes y complejas del mundo. Aportamos fuerza y estabilidad como asesores independientes para determinar la causa, el alcance y la duración de los daños; reparabilidad; ACV/RCV; demora; período de restauración; y analizar daños, cronogramas y todos los costos asociados.
> Servicios de higiene industrial
Nuestro equipo de higienistas industriales certificados, profesionales de seguridad certificados y científicos ambientales brindan asesoramiento experto en asuntos relacionados con asbesto, plomo, moho, legionela, humo, ruido, riesgos ocupacionales y otros peligros. Nuestros expertos son contratados para realizar evaluaciones de exposición, muestreos ambientales, pruebas de calidad del aire, mapeo de ruidos y humedad e investigaciones de causa y origen. También requieren nuestros servicios para desarrollar programas de mitigación de riesgos para peligros ambientales y ocupacionales.
