Gov. Christine Todd Whitman signed two bills of interest tolawyers Wednesday: one giving construction project engineersgreater immunity from liability for workplace accidents and theother requiring divorcing parents to participate in an educationprogram detailing their breakup’s impact on their children.
The bill limiting an engineer’s liability, A-210, was enactedin response to a 1996 state Supreme Courts ruling: Carvalho v.Toll Brothers and Developers, 143 N.J. 454. In Carvalho, the Courtheld that a professional engineer could be held liable for damagesin connection with the death of a construction worker who waskilled in a trench collapse, even though the contract said thecontractor was responsible for site safety.
