Michelle Ranello practices in the area of construction law, drafting and negotiating construction management and general contracting agreements, architect and engineering agreements, consulting agreements, trade contracts, license agreements and other construction agreements on behalf of owners, developers and contractors. Ms. Ranello also represents construction clients in all aspects of litigation and/or arbitration arising from public and private construction projects, from the preparation of pleadings to acting as second chair at trial, as well as coordinating pre-trial discovery in complex litigations.
Ms. Ranello is a 2016 graduate of Brooklyn Law School and a 2013 graduate of the Macaulay Honors College at Baruch College.
Representative Matters
Secured a $40.3 million judgment on behalf of Tutor Perini subsidiary Five Star Electric Corp. in a case involving the breach of contract claims of electrical contractor Five Star Electric as a third-party beneficiary of the contract between the general contractor, a J.V. of Tully Construction Co., Inc. and A. J. Pegno Construction, and the City of New York, involving upgrades to the Newtown Creek Water Pollution Control Plant.
Represented construction manager through award in an arbitration proceeding involving a dispute with a concrete subcontractor on a project for the construction of the Bloomberg Center at Cornell Tech.
Secured a $12.3 million verdict on breach of contract claims, and a separate $7.8 million verdict on negligence claims, to repair damage to the historic finishes in a multi-million dollar Manhattan townhouse resulting from faulty excavation/underpinning work of an adjacent property.
Represented public works contractor in its $50 million claim against the State of New York arising out of a $150 million Project for the construction of the interchange between the Long Island Expressway and the Cross Island Parkway. In 2018, the Court of Claims granted contractor’s motion for summary judgment dismissing all of the State’s counterclaims and affirmative defenses based upon alleged MWBC fraud.
Represented a specialty subcontractor through trial in a construction defect and non-payment case involving the Metropolitan Transit Authority arising out of the construction of the Number 7 Line Subway Station at the intersection of 34th Street and 11th Avenue in New York.
Admissions
- New York
- New Jersey
Education
- Brooklyn Law School, J.D., 2016
- Macaulay Honors College at Baruch College, B.A., 2013
Experience
- Duane Morris LLP
- Associate, 2016-present
Honors and Awards
- Named to Best Lawyers "Ones to Watch," 2023-2025
No aspect of these rankings has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey. Further information on methodologies is available via these links.
Selected Publications
- Co-author, "New York Court Finds New Limitations on Additional Insured Status in Construction Contracts," Duane Morris Alert, October 14, 2024
- Co-author, "New York’s 5 Percent Retainage Bill for Construction Contracts Signed into Law," Duane Morris Alert, November 27, 2023
- Co-author, "New York General Contractors and Construction Managers at Risk for Subcontractor’s Nonpayment of Wages," Duane Morris Alert, March 9, 2021
- Co-author, "CARES Act Impacts Engineering and Construction Sector," Duane Morris Alert, March 30, 2020
Co-author, "Singapore: Opportunities for Medical Innovation," Duane Morris mHealth Newsletter, June 24, 2014