TMCnet News
Hagens Berman Files Largest Mass-Acton Lawsuit in Seattle History Against Shea HomesSEATTLE --(Business Wire)-- More than 1,500 Redmond homeowners represented by Hagens Berman and Levy - von Beck today filed an amended mass-action lawsuit in federal court for the Western District of Washington against Shea Homes, Inc., alleging that the California-based homebuilder acted unfairly and deceptively in building, marketing and selling homes to elderly buyers. The complaint alleges that building and construction defects at Trilogy at Redmond Ridge have resulted in moisture intrusion, rot, sagging roofs and vermin infestations. The amended complaint is the largest action of its kind in Seattle history, bringing new allegations against Shea Homes for faulty roof construction, lack of roof flashing and failure to properly seal homes from rats, mice, squirrels, frogs, insects and other vermin, resulting in widespread wood rot and infestations. The complaint, filed by attorneys Steve Berman with national class-action law firm Hagens Berman and Dave von Beck of Levy - von Beck & Associates, includes more than 1,500 plaintiffs, accounting for 960 of the 1521 homes at Trilogy, a community for over-55 residents. "We have inspected over one thousand homes at Trilogy and documented that each home has incurred tens of thousands of dollars in damages," said Steve Berman, one of the lead attorneys representing the group of homeowners. "These residents thought they were making a good choice by moving into Shea's community, but it's become exceedingly clear that the homes were not built to withstand the Northwest climate and not built with the quality components and methods that Shea promised." The lawsuit alleges that Shea knowingly ignored architect plans and building codes requiring exterior waterproofing components such as metal flashings, and built the homes without those components to cut construction costs and make more money. ccording to the complaint, Shea's omissions and misrepresentations to Trilogy homebuyers have caused homeowners to suffer tens of thousands of dollars in damages. The complaint includes photographs of rotting Trilogy homes, garages with standing water and sagging roofs. The complaint also includes excerpts of internal Shea emails in which Shea employees appear to mock homeowners. In one email, a Shea customer service representative states that the quality of Shea's homes provides them with "job security." Images of the damages have been posted at www.hbsslaw.com/cases-and-investigations/cases/Shea-Homes and www.levy-law.com/articles. "It seems that Shea believed these issues could be swept under the rug," von Beck said. "Not only have residents been forced to pay for extensive home repairs - they've also been forced to live in homes with rotting wood, sagging roofs and that are plagued by vermin and mold." The complaint alleges that Shea conducted secret investigations into its rotting homes as far back as 2007. According to the complaint, these investigations concluded that columns on hundreds of Trilogy homes were rotting internally from the day they were built, and that other wooden elements were rotting and detaching from houses. During this time, Shea allegedly told homeowners that the problems were not construction-related, but were due to inadequate homeowner maintenance. More information about the case and a copy of the filed complaint can be found here: www.hbsslaw.com/cases-and-investigations/cases/Shea-Homes. About Hagens Berman Hagens Berman is a consumer-rights class-action law firm with offices in nine cities. The firm has been named to the National Law Journal's Plaintiffs' Hot List seven times. More about the law firm and its successes can be found at www.hbsslaw.com. About Levy - von Beck Levy - von Beck is a Pacific Northwest law firm whose practice includes homeowners' rights, defective construction and Consumer Protection Act violations. For more about the firm, visit http://levy-law.com/.
|
