Beacon: Signaling a New Duty to Future Homeowners in California?

The California Supreme Court appears to have severely curtailed the scope of the no-duty defense typically employed by design professionals at the pleading stage in construction defect actions brought by future purchasers of real property.  Beacon Residential Community Assn v. Skidmore, Owings & Merril LLP (“Beacon”) (2014) 59 Cal. 4th 568. This article discusses the Beacon decision, its underlying case law, and its practicable impact.