Building Contractor's Liability after Completion and Acceptance

Schipper v. Levitt & Sons, Inc., held that a tract home-builder must defend his actions against the prima facie case established by an injured third party. The importance of this case lies in the application of a tort doctrine, previously applied exclusively to negligent acts by chattel manufacturers, to real property construction. This extension is shattering the ancient property concepts so much the bedrock of our Common Law. We will review that foundation and the old rules of non-liability as they concern the landowner, contractor, and third party, in order to grasp the significance of this new change in jurisprudential thought.

From there, we will analyze Ohio's reliance on the old and possible adoption of the new.