John M. Tedder practices primarily in the areas of construction and commercial litigation and has handled a wide range of construction disputes for owners, sureties, contractors, subcontractors, material suppliers and architects. Mr. Tedder has worked on matters involving construction delay/acceleration claims, extra work/unjust enrichment claims, mechanic's lien claims, surety indemnification claims, surety takeovers, payment and performance bond claims, and contractor/owner terminations for cause/convenience. Mr. Tedder also has represented both owners and contractors in negotiating and preparing commercial and residential construction contracts.

Mr. Tedder is a 1996 cum laude graduate of Duquesne University School of Law and a cum laude graduate of Clemson University.

Areas Of Practice

Construction Litigation

Representative Matters

Heavy Highway Construction Asset Sale: Represented national construction company and its corporate parent in a breach of contract, breach of warranty and indemnification action arising from the asset purchase sale of the company's construction assets.
Federal Building Renovation: Represented general contractor in a multimillion-dollar subcontract dispute on the $54,000,000 Moorhead Federal Building project in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
State Bid Protest: Represented national electrical contractor in protesting state turnpike commission's award of electrical contract for highway tunnel renovation project.
School Construction Disputes: Represented various prime contractors in prosecuting labor inefficiency and extra work claims in multimillion-dollar/multi-party construction disputes against Pennsylvania public school districts.
Mechanics' Liens: Represented owners and contractors in defending/prosecuting mechanics' lien claims for unpaid contract sums.
Surety Takeover: Defended national surety company in a bankruptcy adversary proceeding arising out of surety's takeover of defaulted bond principal's business operations. All claims asserted against the surety were dismissed with prejudice.
Steel Mill: Represented U.S. subsidiary of international steel mill equipment manufacturer/supplier in defending multimillion-dollar breach of contract and breach of warranty claims arising out of steel mill construction project. Also represented this same manufacturer/supplier in prosecuting indemnification claims against its fabrication subcontractor.
Highway & Bridge: Representation of national engineering firm in connection with the prosecution of an additional engineering fee claim and defense of breach of contract and engineering negligence counterclaims collectively in excess of $6,000,000 relating to the Market Street Bridge construction project in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
Power Plant: Represented national engineering and construction firm in breach of contract, breach of warranty and contractual indemnification claims against national turbine manufacturer subcontractor in connection with the construction of a $150,000,000 waste-to-energy mass burn facility in Long Beach, California.
Commercial Development: Representation of national development company in prosecuting multimillion-dollar latent construction/design defect claims against building contractors as well as various design, testing, surveying and inspection professionals.
Material Production/Supply: Representation of U.S. producer of alumina in an approximate $30,000,000 international arbitration against a United Arab Emirates metals trading company and its Indian parent for refusing to accept delivery of contracted quantities of alumina.

Professional Activities

American Bar Association
- Forum on the Construction Industry
Pennsylvania Bar Association
Allegheny County Bar Association
- Construction Law Section

Admissions

Pennsylvania
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana

Education

Duquesne University School of Law, J.D., cum laude, 1996
Clemson University, B.A., cum laude, 1993

Experience

Reed Smith
- Partner, 2004-2007
- Associate, 2000-2004
Babst, Calland, Clements and Zomnir, P.C.
- Associate, 1996-2000
Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas
- Judicial Law Clerk, the Honorable James R. McGregor, 1994
Duane Morris LLP
- Partner, 2007-present

Selected Publications

Co-Author, "Seeking Emergent Relief Pending a Mandatory Arbitration Subject to the Federal Arbitration Act," American Bar Association, 2008
"Still Owed Money? Don't Cash That Check Just Yet!," The Critical Path, March 2003
"Taxpayer Standing to Challenge Public Contract Award - Not a 'Fiction' After All," The Critical Path, January 2001
Co-Author, "To Spoliate or Not to Spoliate...," Commercial & Banking Litigation, American Bar Association, 1997 Summer Edition

Selected Speaking Engagements

Co-Speaker, "Counterattack: Utilizing and Responding to TROs and Other Litigation 'Fasttrack' Processes," American Bar Association Forum on the Construction Industry Annual Meeting 2008