Contractor Liability for Adjacent Property Damage Due to Construction Negligence

A contractor undertook work on a building, and after completion, a neighboring property owner filed a claim for damages resulting from defects in the work, specifically alleging that the construction had caused soil subsidence and damage to their retaining wall. The Court of Cassation upheld the lower court's decision finding the contractor liable, reasoning that the contractor's duty of care required them to ensure the work did not cause foreseeable damage to adjacent properties, and the evidence supported that the excavation and construction methods employed directly led to the documented subsidence and damage to the neighbor's retaining structure.