What doctrine protects contractors from a defective design when owner hires designers?

• A. Spearin Doctrine
• B. Liabilities Doctrine
• C. Fiduciary Doctrine
• D. Warranty Doctrine

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is how risk is allocated when the owner (not the contractor) is responsible for the design. The Spearin Doctrine holds that if the owner provides the plans and specifications, there’s an implied warranty that those plans are adequate to achieve the project’s intended result. If the contractor follows those owner-provided designs and latent defects in the design cause problems, the owner bears the risk and may be responsible for the resulting costs or rework. In practice, this means a contractor isn’t liable for damages caused by design flaws they couldn’t discover by reasonable diligence, as long as they executed the work in accordance with the provided designs.

This concept comes from the principle established in the Spearin case, and it’s especially relevant in designs hired or controlled by the owner. The other doctrines listed don’t capture this specific risk allocation—the Spearin Doctrine specifically protects the contractor when the defect originates from the owner-provided design, not from general liability, fiduciary duties, or a broad warranty concept.