Ricketts v. NV5, LLC

**Ricketts v. NV5, LLC: Court Rules on Company's Duty to Cover Legal Costs** This case involved a dispute over whether one company (NV5 and related defendants) had to pay Werner Enterprises' legal bills from a separate lawsuit called the Riggio case. Werner claimed that under their contract, the defendants were required to defend them and cover their attorney fees when they got sued. The court sided with Werner on the main issue, ruling that the defendants did breach their contractual duty to defend Werner and pay their legal costs in the Riggio lawsuit. However, the court rejected the defendants' request to dismiss the case entirely. While Werner won on the key question of whether defendants owed them this protection, the court said the actual amount of money owed still needs to be decided at trial. **What this means for workers:** This case shows how companies often have contracts requiring one party to cover another's legal expenses in certain situations. While this particular dispute was between companies, it demonstrates that contractual duties to provide legal defense and indemnification are legally enforceable. Workers should understand that employment contracts may contain similar provisions that could affect them if legal disputes arise.