A Chicago-based subcontractor is suing one of the firms managing the construction of the Obama Presidential Center for $40 million, alleging that racially discriminatory practices forced it to take on extra work, pushing the company to the brink of bankruptcy.
Fox News reports that Robert McGee, owner of II in One, which has provided concrete and rebar services for the project since 2021, filed the lawsuit in federal court last month against New York-based Thornton Tomasetti. The company is responsible for structural engineering and design services for the $830 million center, according to the suit
McGee claims that Thornton Tomasetti altered standards and imposed new requirements for rebar spacing and tolerance that deviated from American Concrete Institute guidelines. These changes, he argues, led to “excessively rigorous and unnecessary inspection,” resulting in significant cost overruns.
McGee claims that the additional paperwork significantly hindered productivity and led to millions of dollars in losses, according to the lawsuit.
However, nearly a year ago, Thornton Tomasetti defended its actions, stating in a memo related to the lawsuit that the subcontractors were “questionably qualified” and that the delays were a result of their own deficiencies, Fox reported.
The Obama Presidential Center is being built near Jackson Park in Chicago and will include a museum, library, and community and conference facilities. The center will also house the nonprofit Obama Foundation, which is managing the development and runs a scholarship program through the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy.
McGee alleges that Thornton Tomasetti falsely accused II in One of lacking the necessary qualifications and experience to perform its work while asserting that non-minority-owned contractors were adequately qualified.