Construction Payment, Delay and Lien Disputes
Our Construction Payment, Delay, and Lien Disputes practice focuses on representing contractors, subcontractors, developers, property owners, and insurers in resolving complex financial and timing disputes in the construction industry. We handle claims involving unpaid invoices, project delays, mechanic’s liens, bond claims, and breach of contract.
With deep expertise in construction law, we assist clients in navigating disputes related to project timelines, payment schedules, change orders, and work stoppages. Our team provides effective legal strategies to address delay claims, enforce payment obligations, and defend against or file lien claims.
Whether negotiating settlements, pursuing arbitration, or litigating in court, we work to resolve disputes swiftly while protecting our clients’ interests and minimizing financial risk.
Our goal is to deliver practical solutions and ensure that our clients’ projects are completed efficiently and in compliance with contractual terms.
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Construction Payment, Delay and Lien Disputes Team
Bobbie Ann Henderson is a Senior Associate in Lydecker’s Atlanta office. Ms. Henderson has over 25 years of experience representing clients in all aspects of civil litigation. Her practice is focused on complex commercial and business litigation, insurance tort liability/defense, and premises liability/negligent security matters.
Ms. Henderson began her legal career with a 15-year focus on construction law, in which she represented sureties, developers, contractors, owners and design professionals in complex construction matters. Her work included payment and delay claims, regulatory compliance, construction defects and performance claims. A significant part of her practice involved business transactions and disputes and the assertion of creditor rights.
Prior to joining Lydecker, Ms. Henderson’s practice included defense of insurance companies and their insureds in matters involving first and third party insurance claims, complex civil litigation, serious bodily injury, and wrongful death cases.
Ms. Henderson received her undergraduate degree and her Juris Doctorate from the University of Florida. She is admitted to practice in the states of Georgia and Florida.
Of Counsel
Mr. Conto is a Partner at the firm’s Boca Raton Office. Mr. Conto began his career in law representing corporations in legal matters concerning maritime law. Mr. Conto then joined a well-known litigation defense firm with offices throughout Florida. There he focused his practice on defending corporations in construction defect matters, premises liability matters and negligent security matters involving claims of wrongful death. He also represented insurance companies in high exposure first-party property disputes.
At Lydecker Mr. Conto is concentrating his practice on defending developers, general contractors, subcontractors, design professionals, environmental consultants, product manufacturers and insurance carriers in a variety of contexts arising from the construction and use of real property. Mr. Conto has successfully represented clients in all phases of litigation including trials, summary judgment proceedings and mediations.
Partner
Jonathan J. Levy is an associate at the Boca Raton office. Mr. Levy’s practice includes Construction Defect Litigation focusing on defending developers, general contractors, subcontractors, design professionals, environmental consultants, and product manufacturers. The other portion of Mr. Levy’s practice involves Catastrophic Injury and Loss Defense, focusing on the defense of claims involving wrongful death, paralysis, amputations, traumatic brain injury, sexual assault, and other serious injuries. These claims can result from a multitude of alleged causes, including construction site accidents and collapses, road construction accidents, commercial trucking and car accidents, premises liability, negligent security, and products liability, to name a few.
Mr. Levy joined the firm in March 2022. Prior to joining the firm Mr. Levy was an associate attorney at a boutique law firm specializing in Foreclosure Defense, Complex Business and Commercial Litigation, Appellate Advocacy, and Corporate Transactional Law.
Mr. Levy obtained his law degree from Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad College of Law in 2019. During law school Mr. Levy served on the executive board for the Jewish Law Society and was a student delegate at the 2018 AIPAC Policy Conference. Mr. Levy was also a law clerk at NSU’S Berger Entrepreneurship Clinic, providing legal work to underserved small businesses, and achieved Dean’s List for multiple semesters. Prior to law school Mr. Levy worked for high tech companies in Tel-Aviv, Israel, garnering substantial international business experience.
Associate
Spencer Mallard is a Board Certified Construction Lawyer with a statewide practice in all facets of construction and oversees the Firm’s construction practice. Mr. Mallard represents developers, general contractors, design professionals, environmental consultants, subcontractors and product manufacturers in a variety of contexts. These representations include construction and design defect disputes, construction transactions, construction contract/payment disputes, environmental/pollution claims and construction accident claims.
A large portion of his practice involves construction and design defect disputes, including representation of clients during the Chapter 558 pre-suit process, litigation and arbitration.
Mr. Mallard has handled countless construction and design defect related disputes, including matters premised on building code violations, breaches of statutory implied warranties, contracts, indemnity agreements, and negligence. These disputes include alleged water intrusion through building exteriors, structural instability/cracking/settlement, mechanical/electrical/plumbing/fire suppression system performance/durability issues, inadequate building/site drainage and exterior coating/cladding failures. In addition to defending all clients from these claims, Mr. Mallard frequently represents developers and general contractors in the presentation of pass-through claims. He also has extensive experience litigating and advising on insurance coverage issues pertaining to construction and design defect claims. Mr. Mallard’s practice also includes representation of owners, contractors and design professionals in construction transactions.
This includes drafting/negotiation of contracts, advising clients during planning of developments, assisting with administration the construction process, resolving issues during project close-out and pre-turnover of condominium.
Partner
Meliz Martin is a Partner in the firm’s Miami office. Ms. Martin represents developers, general contractors, subcontractors, design professionals, and insurance carriers in a variety of contexts arising from the construction and use of real property. These representations include construction and design defect disputes, construction transactions, construction contract/payment disputes, environmental claims, and construction accident claims involving catastrophic injuries. Her practice involves disputes arising from water intrusion through building exteriors; structural integrity; mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire suppression system performance issues; inadequate site drainage; and exterior coating and cladding failures.
A large portion of her practice involves construction and design defect disputes, including representation of clients during the Chapter 558 pre-suit process, litigation and arbitration. Ms. Martin’s practice involves all aspects of federal and state trial litigation. She has taken hundreds of depositions and has attended hundreds of hearings. She obtained favorable results in the vast majority of these matters.
Ms. Martin’s litigation philosophy involves having an eye towards detail, this is especially true in design and construction litigation, as these claims have multiple parties and voluminous multiyear records for the life span of a construction project. Equally important is a focus on plaintiffs’ claims, which typically involve tens of hundreds of defect items. Understanding these complex facts and issues facilitates opportunities for risk transfer and early resolution of matters.
Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Martin was practicing in the areas of condominium and homeowners association, construction and real estate litigation.
Partner
Mewerick Mozza is an associate attorney at the Lydecker’s Miami office. Mr. Mozza concentrates his practice in all aspects of federal and state civil litigation.
Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Mozza worked for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida at the Chambers of Magistrate Judge John J. O’Sullivan, where he aided with matters from Social Security Disability determinations, maritime personal injury cases, to international breach of contracts. Furthermore, Magistrate Judge O’Sullivan and Mr. Mozza were invited to Bolivia to provide an international conference where they were awarded Distinguished Visitor status and laws passed under their names for aiding the judiciary system in Bolivia. Additionally, Mr. Mozza worked for Mozza & Abogados Asociados exposing him to a different legal system. He counseled in the administration and legal transactions of the clients’ international businesses throughout South America and in the United States, including the purchasing and leasing of real estate and their international commercial transactions. Furthermore, Mr. Mozza was the recipient of the Law Awards 2022 by Latin American Quality Institute due to the exceptional performance in representing clients in international business transactions. In addition, Mr. Mozza worked at the Law Offices of Anidjar and Levine, P.A., where he handled personal injury claims and property damage claims in the pre-litigation and litigation departments. Mr. Mozza is committed to providing aggressive representation for all his clients and ensuring all clients receive effective legal representation.
Mr. Mozza graduated from the Trinity University with a Bachelor of Arts and Majors in Political Science, Philosophy, and International Studies in addition to a Minor in Human Communication in 2011. Mr. Mozza graduated Cum Laude from his Juris Doctorate from St. Thomas University School of Law in 2015, and was a member of the Intercultural Human Rights Law Review. Subsequently, Mr. Mozza graduated from a Master in Law in International Commercial Arbitration from the University of Miami in 2017. Mr. Mozza additionally obtained a Bachelor of Humanities in Political Science from Universidad Autónoma Gabriel Rene Moreno, in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, in 2022. In addition to being a member in good standing of the Florida Bar, Mr. Mozza is also a member of the District of Columbia Bar and the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
Senior Associate
Kristina Sargent served as an enlisted soldier in the United States Army and Army Guard for over 15 years. Kristina graduated from the University of Baltimore and was a prosecutor in Baltimore City prior to moving to Florida in 2021. After spending 8 years practicing criminal law, Kristina shifted her focus to civil litigation. Kristina has extensive trial experience leading dozens of jury trials and high-profile cases.
Of Counsel
