Gallaudet University is taking legal action against one of its construction contractors, James G. Davis Construction Corp., alleging the firm botched the building of a new residence hall and created unsafe conditions for students.
The private university, which serves the deaf and hard of hearing, filed a federal lawsuit against the Rockville contractor in late December, seeking $30 million in damages stemming from the dispute. It’s the largest in a string of suits the university has filed against companies that worked on the project, which is a residence hall for the Model Secondary School for the Deaf that opened in 2017.
A university spokesman declined to comment on the case.
Davis Construction President and CEO Jim Davis also declined to discuss the specifics of the case, writing in an emailed statement to the Washington Business Journal: “Davis is very proud of the building we constructed for Gallaudet University five years ago. We are disappointed that Gallaudet has chosen this path to address their concerns. As always, Davis will attempt to resolve any differences in a professional manner, hopefully out of court.”
