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Obama center contractor’s $40M lawsuit calls engineering firm racist

New York-based Thornton Tomasetti denied allegations, accused subcontractor of shoddy work that caused cost overruns

A photo illustration of Thornton Tomasetti founding principal Richard Tomasetti along with 6001 South Stony Island Avenue (Getty, Google Maps, Obama Foundation, Thornton Tomasetti)
A photo illustration of Thornton Tomasetti founding principal Richard Tomasetti along with 6001 South Stony Island Avenue (Getty, Google Maps, Obama Foundation, Thornton Tomasetti)

A South Side contractor has sued engineering consulting firm Thornton Tomasetti for $40 million relating to the construction of the Obama Presidential Center.

II in One Contractors, which specializes in concrete and rebar services, claims the New York firm imposed unfair rules, subjected it to excessive inspections and left it with $40 million in unrecouped costs, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Robert McGee, the owner of II in One, contends that Thornton Tomasetti changed the project’s construction requirements without warning, making an “improper and unanticipated decision” regarding rebar spacing and tolerance. 

The additional scrutiny and paperwork negatively impacted productivity, resulting in major financial setbacks, the lawsuit claims. II in One, a Black-owned business, was forced to meet increasingly stringent standards, while non-minority contractors were not subjected to the same level of scrutiny, the suit alleges.

Thornton Tomasetti denies any wrongdoing, saying in a memo last year that delays and cost overruns resulted from II in One’s inexperience and performance issues.

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The memo included images of cracked slabs and exposed rebar, arguing that the Concrete Collective — a joint venture including II in One — submitted numerous corrective work requests, requiring extensive redesign efforts from the engineering team.

II in One’s lawsuit argues that its extensive track record, which includes work on major projects such as Millennium Park, McCormick Place and O’Hare Airport, contradicts the claims of inexperience and suggests discrimination played a role in the firm’s treatment.

“If the foundation believed that any vendor was acting with a racist intent, we would immediately take appropriate action,” Obama Foundation spokeswoman Emily Bittner said. “We have no reason to believe that Thornton Tomasetti acted with racist intent.”

The Obama Presidential Center, at 6001 South Stony Island Avenue, has encountered multiple setbacks since the project’s 2021 groundbreaking, including lawsuits and delays that have pushed the main museum building’s opening to 2026. The athletic center is still on track to open later this year. 

— Andrew Terrell

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