Supreme Court Overrules "Completion and Acceptance" Doctrine
The venerable completion & acceptance doctrine -- which holds that a builder is immune from personal injury suit filed by injured third parties once the owner has accepted the completed work -- is now officially dead in Washington, according to this new 6-3 ruling frorm the Supreme Court.
The facts of the case were that Baugh completed its work on a processing facility in 1997. In 2000, the owner suspected a leak in one of the pipes installed by Baugh and sent in a crew to excavate the area to find the leak. A crew member died when the excavation hole collapsed. The suit by the deceased worker's estate against Baugh was thrown out by the lower court based on the completion & acceptance doctrine.
Reinstating the suit, the Supreme Court adopted the rule that a negligent builder can be sued by an injured third party, subject to the 6 year statute of repose.
