This lawsuit revolves around allegations of racial discrimination and a contentious construction project – the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago. Robert McGee, owner of II in One, a Black-owned subcontracting firm responsible for concrete and rebar work, has filed a $40 million lawsuit against Thornton Tomasetti, the structural engineering and design firm overseeing the project. McGee alleges that Thornton Tomasetti implemented discriminatory practices that resulted in significant extra work, pushing his company to the brink of bankruptcy. The core of McGee’s claim hinges on accusations that Thornton Tomasetti deviated from established industry standards, specifically those of the American Concrete Institute, regarding rebar spacing and tolerance requirements. This, he argues, led to excessively stringent and unnecessary inspections, generating mountains of paperwork, hindering productivity, and ultimately causing millions of dollars in losses.
Thornton Tomasetti vehemently denies these allegations, countering that the delays and cost overruns stem solely from II in One’s own inadequacies and inexperience. In a memo to the Obama Foundation, Thornton Tomasetti characterized the subcontractors as “questionably qualified,” asserting that their underperformance was the root cause of the project’s issues. The memo included photographic evidence of cracked concrete slabs and exposed rebar, further bolstering their claim of
