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Commitments and Contingencies
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2020
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies Commitments and Contingencies
Legal. The Company is continually engaged in administrative proceedings, arbitrations, and litigation with owners, general contractors, suppliers, current and former employees, and other unrelated parties, all arising in the ordinary courses of business. In the opinion of the Company’s management, the results of these actions will not have a material adverse effect on the financial position, results of operations, or cash flows of the Company.
On November 13, 2019, claimant, Lanzo Trenchless Technologies, Inc. – North, filed a Demand for Arbitration in the state of Michigan against the Company's wholly owned subsidiary, Limbach Company LLC.  The demand seeks damages in excess of $0.4 million based upon the allegation that Limbach Company LLC breached a construction contract by improperly terminating Lanzo’s subcontract, and for withholding payment from Lanzo based upon deficient performance.  Limbach Company LLC has asserted a counterclaim seeking damages caused by Lanzo’s deficient performance.  A binding arbitration proceeding is scheduled for July of 2021. 
On January 23, 2020, plaintiff, Bernards Bros. Inc., filed a complaint in Superior Court of the State of California for the County of Los Angeles against Limbach Holdings, Inc.  The complaint alleges that our Southern California operations refused to honor a proposal made to Bernards to act as a subcontractor on a construction project, and that, as a result of the wrongful failure to honor the proposal, Bernards suffered damages in excess of $3.0 million, including alleged increased costs for hiring a different subcontractor to perform the work.  The Company is vigorously defending the suit, which is current set for trial to take place in June or July of 2021.

On April 17, 2020, plaintiff, LA Excavating, Inc., filed a complaint against our wholly-owned subsidiary, Limbach Company LP, and several other parties, in Superior Court of the State of California, for the County of Los Angeles. The complaint seeks damages of approximately $1.0 million for alleged failure to pay contract balances and extra work ordered by Limbach Company LP, as well as seeks to enforce payment obligations under payment and stop notice release bonds. The Limbach Company LP disputes the allegations and intends to vigorously defend the suit, which is currently set for trial in November of 2021.

In July of 2020, plaintiff, Kimball Construction Co., Inc., filed a complaint against our wholly-owned subsidiary, Limbach Company LLC in circuit Court for Montgomery County, Maryland. The complaint seeks damages of approximately $1.7 million for alleged failure to pay contract balances and extra work, as well as to enforce payment obligations under a payment bond issued by Limbach Company LLC's surety provider. Limbach Company LLC disputes the allegations and intends to vigorously defend the suit, which currently set for trial to take place sometime in the third quarter of 2021. 
Surety. The terms of our construction contracts frequently require that we obtain from surety companies, and provide to our customers, payment and performance bonds (“Surety Bonds”) as a condition to the award of such contracts. The Surety Bonds secure our payment and performance obligations under such contracts, and we have agreed to indemnify the surety companies for amounts, if any, paid by them in respect of Surety Bonds issued on our behalf. In addition, at the request of labor unions representing certain of our employees, Surety Bonds are sometimes provided to secure obligations for wages and benefits payable to or for such employees. Public sector contracts require Surety Bonds more frequently than private sector contracts, and accordingly, our bonding requirements typically increase as the amount of public sector work increases. As of December 31, 2020, we had approximately $79.4 million in Surety Bonds outstanding. The Surety Bonds are issued by surety companies in return for premiums, which vary depending on the size and type of bond.
Collective Bargaining Agreements. Many of the Company’s craft labor employees are covered by collective bargaining agreements. The agreements require the Company to pay specified wages, provide certain benefits, and contribute certain amounts to multi-employer pension plans. If the Company withdraws from any of the multi-employer pension plans or if the plans were to otherwise become underfunded, the Company could incur additional liabilities related to these plans. Although the Company has been informed that some of the multi-employer pension plans to which it contributes have been classified as “critical” status, the Company is not currently aware of any significant liabilities related to this issue. See Note 18 – Multiemployer Pension Plans in the notes to consolidated financial statements for further discussion.