A team of Blank Rome attorneys relied on emails and witness testimony to score a $175 million bench trial win for their Pennsylvania-based real estate investment and development firm client, who claimed one of the largest U.S.-based general contractors repeatedly breached their contract in a large hotel construction project.
Earlier this month, Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge James Crumlish III awarded plaintiff Chestlen Development $174.7 million in compensatory damages after finding that California-headquartered construction company Tutor Perini breached its contract in connection with the construction of the W and Element hotels in Center City Philadelphia. The April 13 ruling followed an October 2025 liability decision and a damages trial held in January 2026.
Blank Rome, along with co‑counsel Glaser Weil and Royer Cooper Cohen Braunfeld, represented the plaintiff. According to Jonathan M. Korn of Blank Rome, the case hinged largely on witness testimony during the liability trial, especially from professionals who worked on the project, to establish their claims and undermine the opposition’s arguments. Korn explained that the liability trial featured testimony from the architect, structural engineer, the owner’s representative, and other critical members of the project team.
In outlining how they established intent regarding the alleged breaches, Korn said the team leaned on extensive email traffic, including both internal Tutor communications and messages exchanged with outside parties. He noted that the evidence revealed repeated failures by Tutor to disclose key information to its client throughout the project, and that those lapses were a central focus of testimony during the liability case.
"It's certainly gratifying that we got this result from the court," Korn said, noting that the team will continue to fight to make sure the client receives these damages.
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“Here's How Blank Rome Attorneys Leveraged Emails and Witness Testimony to Win $175M Award in Phila. Hotel Construction Dispute,” by Riley Brennan was published in The Legal Intelligencer on April 28, 2026.