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Committee advances bill to require California‑licensed experts for design‑professional certificates of merit
Summary
AB 21 06 would require certificates of merit in design‑professional litigation to be authored by California‑licensed experts and extend the certificate requirement to landscape architects; the committee passed it as amended and sent it on for further review.
Assemblymember Patel presented AB 21 06, which would tighten the certificate‑of‑merit process for lawsuits against architects, engineers and landscape architects by requiring that the independent expert consulted be licensed in California. Proponents said out‑of‑state experts unfamiliar with California’s regulatory environment have enabled weak claims to advance, imposing years of litigation on small firms.
Attorney Jerome Pandell and John Moffett of the American Council of Engineering Companies told the committee that requiring California‑licensed reviewers would reduce meritless filings that can drag firms into litigation for years. Several professional organizations — including the American Institute of Architects California, the California Council of the American Society of Landscape Architects and the Civil Justice Association of California — voiced strong support. Committee members acknowledged the change and the author accepted amendments; the motion passed to the next committee with recorded ayes.
Outcome: The committee passed AB 21 06 as amended and advanced it to appropriations (or the next appropriate committee) for further consideration.
