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Announcement on Central Library Litigation

Library News & Announcements RSS Feed February 14, 2008

The Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library and the settling construction companies listed below are pleased to announce that they have reached a settlement of their respective claims in the litigation that the Library has been pursuing related to the parking garage that is a part of the recent Central Library expansion. As a result of a succession of court-ordered mediations, the Library will receive $17,650,000 along with a mutual release of pending claims by and between the Library and the construction companies that are parties to the settlement.

The settlement will be paid by a number of insurance carriers on behalf of several construction companies.  The companies who will be released from the litigation by way of the settlement are: Ambassador Steel; Premier Concrete; Quantum Steel; Shiel-Sexton Company; Shook, LLC; Trotter Construction Company; Turner Construction Company; and Turner Trotter Shiel Sexton Joint Venture. All of the released construction firms and their insurers have denied liability throughout the litigation and continue to do so, but by entering into this settlement, the settling construction companies are able to end their participation in protracted, expensive litigation that will remain ongoing.

The Library anticipates utilizing the settlement funds to retire certain public bond obligations of the Library some of which were incurred to pay for the additional costs and expenses incurred by the Library relating to the parking garage and to pay certain expenses incurred by the Library in pursuit of the litigation.

All of the parties have expressed relief that this portion of the litigation is concluded, and they welcome the opportunity for the community of Indianapolis to enjoy the new library addition that was opened in December, 2007.

The settlement does not resolve all of the pending claims of the Library in the litigation. The Library intends to continue to pursue recovery in the litigation of damages incurred as a result of the acts and omissions of Thornton-Thomasetti Group, Patriot Environmental and Engineering Company and Charlier Clark & Linard, P.C.