Attorney Profile
Douglas C. LaSota
Areas of Practice
Contact Info
Overview
Douglas LaSota is a member of the firm's Professional Liability Department where he focuses his practice on the representation of owners, contractors, design professionals, suppliers and sureties in private and publicly-funded projects, the prosecution of mechanic's lien claims, regularly prosecutes and defends claims for contract funds, change orders, labor inefficiencies, delays, and other direct and indirect costs. In addition, he has extensive experience in the preparation and revisions of contracts for domestic and international projects. He has served as both an arbitrator and mediator of consruction disputes involving owners, design professionals, and contactors. He has represented contractors on bid protests on public projects regulated by procurement statutes. He also represents clients in environmental litigation, including class action suits alleging ground water contamination and landfill suits alleging improper acceptance, classification and disposal of liquid wastes. He also represents clients in OSHA and MSHA litigation. In addition to Douglas’s experience and background in construction and engineering, he is also practiced in general commercial litigation matters, real estate law and surety law litigation.
Prior to attending law school, Douglas worked for a Fortune 500 manufacturer as a plant engineer and production superintendent, with responsibility for capital improvement projects and plant expansions. After becoming an attorney, Douglas continued to leverage his engineering background toward his practice, and he previously served as the chair for the Allegheny County Bar Association’s Construction Law Section. He is also active in real estate law and has served on his community’s zoning board.
In 1987, Douglas graduated from West Virginia University with a B.S. in Industrial Engineering and then received his juris doctor from Duquesne University School of Law in 1997. He is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, Superior Court of Pennsylvania, United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and United States Court of Federal Claims. Additionally, he maintains a AV® Distinguished™ Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell.
Results
Representation of geotech engineering firm in claim brought by Mid-Stream Pipeline contractor for multi-million dollar claim arising under the Pennsylvania-West Virginia duty to identify underground utilities statute ("One Call"). Obtained summary judgment affirmed by Third Circuit Court of Appeals.
Representation of mine owner in claim raised by adjacent mine owner for flooding of mine and catastrophic loss of mine, coal seam and all related equipment.
Representation of engineer in claims raised by miners that were trapped for eight days by underground mine water flooding when coal barrier was breached between active mine and flooded mine where engineer set coal boundary.
Representation of D/B contractor of largest soldier pile retaiing wall built to date to retain land in Appalachia that supported a Marcellus Shale gas fractionation plant.
Representation of Fortune 100 manufacturing of oil and gas industry chemicals in environmental claims raised by residual surface owners as to health imipacts associated with air, soil, and groundwater contamination.
Thought Leadership
“Inspect the Uninspected: Current Pennsylvania Law Regarding Tort Liability Under the Tort Claims Act for Third-Party Municipal Building Inspectors,” Defense Digest, Vol. 25, No. 3, September 2019