Representative Matters

Litigation

• Obtained $20 million verdict, including $9 million in punitive damages, in 13 week federal jury trial for runway contractor at Denver International Airport.
• Successfully mediated claims in excess of $100 million on behalf of telecommunications company brought by general contractor on national cable system rebuild.
• Successfully defended municipality in trial to the court on over thirty claims, obtained defense verdict on all claims and award of attorneys' fees as sanction.
• Appointed Special Assistant Attorney General to represent State of Colorado in arbitration of claims brought by highway contractor.
• Counsel for public utility in settlement of claims arising out of conversion of nuclear power plant to gas fired.
• Counsel for public utility in settlement of claims arising out of construction defects at city-wide chill plant.
• Counsel for airline fuel consortium in settlement of claims for cost overruns on construction of fuel delivery system at San Francisco International Airport. 
• Counsel for municipality in settlement of claims arising out of cost sharing agreement among water right owners for maintenance costs at Standley Lake Reservoir. 
• Represented County in defense of claims brought by general contractor and design team on jail expansion project, obtaining net settlement payment to County of over $5 million on counterclaims and third-party claims against contractor's surety and design team. 
• Successfully defended housing authority in trial to the court on $1 million claim for cost overruns and delays, obtaining dismissal of all claims after plaintiff's case.  Subsequently litigated and collected substantial cost award.
• Successfully defended lessee in commercial lease dispute, obtaining dismissal of all claims and award of attorneys' fees as sanction.
• Successfully defended environmental engineering firm on claims brought by commercial developer in Vail arising out of soil report.
• Counsel for national engineering firm in settlement of claims arising out of construction of passenger bridge at Denver International Airport.
• Successfully arbitrated recovery action on behalf of insurance company obtaining award of approximately $1 million.

Appellate Decisions

• Quigley v. Rosenthal, 327 F.3d 104 (10th Cir. 2003), cert. denied.
• Bangert Bros. Const. Co., Inc. v. Kiewit Western Co., 310 F.3d 1278 (10th Cir. 2002)
• Nauert v. Nava Leisure U.S.A., Inc., 211 F.3d 1278 (10th Cir. 2000) (unpublished)
• Mehaffy, Rider, Windholz & Wilson v. Central Bank Denver, N.A., 892 P.2d 230 (Colo. 1995)
• PCL Construction Services, Inc. v. Protech Theatrical Services, Inc., Colorado Court of Appeals, Case No. 09CA0597 (2010)(unpublished)
• Steven N. Hirsch, as Trustee for the Franklin Nominee Trust v. James Grant Hunt and Janie A. Hunt, Colorado Court of Appeals, Case No. 06CA1434 (2007) (unpublished)
• Marais Gaylord, L.L.C. v. BRM Construction, Inc., 2007 WL 1839799 (Colo. App. 2007), cert. denied.
• Buckhannon v. US West Communications, Inc., 928 P.2d 1331 (Colo. App. 1996)
• Central Bank Denver, N.A. v. Mehaffy, Rider, Windholz & Wilson, 865 P.2d 862 (Colo. App. 1993)
• Klancke v. Smith, 829 P.2d 464 (Colo. App. 1991)

Representative Construction Contracts

• Represented municipalities in negotiation and preparation of design and construction contracts for field house, police station, civic center, and convention center.
• Represented county in review of construction contract for relocating utility lines on Las Vegas Strip.
• Represented numerous airline fuel consortia in negotiation, review and preparation of construction and design contracts for tank farm and jet fuel distribution facilities, including O'Hare, Logan, San Francisco, Dulles, JFK, LAX, Oakland, San Jose, Salt Lake, Denver, Milwaukee, San Diego, Seattle, Fort Myers, Kansas City and Orange County.

Professional Activities

• Assistant Manager, Sherman & Howard Litigation Department
• American Arbitration Association, Panel of Neutrals, Construction
• Co-Chair Construction Litigation Committee, American Bar Association, Section of Litigation (2008-2010)
• Programs Co-Chair, Construction Litigation Committee, American Bar Association, Section of Litigation (2004-2008)
• Board Member, Colorado Women's Bar Association (2002-2004)
• Member, American Bar Association Forum on the Construction Industry
• Admitted, United States Supreme Court
• Admitted, Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals
• Admitted, Federal Circuit Court of Appeals
• Admitted, United States District Court for the District of Colorado
• Admitted, Colorado Supreme Court
• Admitted, District of Columbia Court of Appeals (inactive)

Publications and Presentations

• Moderator, ABA Forum on the Construction Industry, Plenary Program on Jury Research, Scottsdale, AZ (April 2011)
• Panelist, ABA Print and Web Editors Symposium, Chicago, IL (September 2007)
• Moderator, ABA Section of Litigation Annual Meeting, "Experts and the eDiscovery Problem," San Antonio, TX (April 2007)
• Speaker, ABA Forum on the Construction Industry, plenary program involving mock summary judgment briefing and oral argument on notice, Scottsdale, AZ (October 2006)
• Moderator, ABA Section of Litigation Annual Meeting, "Reconstruction After a Disaster - Terrorism, Weather and Other Acts of God and Man," New York, NY (April 2005)
• Holt, Tyrone, Stalder, Jeffrey, and Wiessner, Charlotte.  "Standard Construction Contract Clauses from the Perspective of the Owner, Contractor and Architect."  Seminar:  Construction Law.  Denver:  Colorado Bar Association CLE (April 2004)
• Wiessner, Charlotte.  "The Use of Jury Consultants."  Construct! - Construction Litigation Committee of the American Bar Association, Section of Litigation.  Spring 2003:  Vol. 12 Num. 2
• Wiessner, Charlotte.  "Copyright Issues of Plans and Specs for Architects and Engineers."  Seminar:  Construction Litigation in Colorado.  Denver:  Lorman Education Services, June 26, 2002

Education

• Juris Doctor, cum laude, Georgetown University Law Center, 1985
• Bachelor of Arts, academic honors, George Washington University, 1981

Honors and Awards

• Listed in Best Lawyers in America for Litigation-Construction, 2012

Previous Experience

• Law Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives, The Capitol, Washington, D.C. (1983 - 1984)