New CA Business & Professions Code Case
 

When a contractor’s workers’ compensation coverage is cancelled because the contractor refuses to pay outstanding premiums due, is this due to circumstances beyond its control? 

Last month, the California Court of Appeal addressed this issue. Below is my one-paragraph summary of this new decision:

American Building Innovations v. Balfour Beatty Construction (2024) _ Cal.App.5th _ , 2024 WL 4020024: The Court of Appeal affirmed the trial court’s decision, following a bench trial on one of defendant’s affirmative defenses, concluding that plaintiff was not “a duly licensed contractor at all times during the performance” and therefore could not bring or maintain this action or recover compensation for its work. Plaintiff had workers compensation coverage when it began working on a project, but the carrier cancelled the policy when plaintiff refused to pay outstanding premiums charged on a...