Property Damage and Real Estate Disputes

After three homeowners’ brand new houses began to crack and sink, we filed a lawsuit on their behalf against the contractor, engineers, and others, including a soils testing firm. In discovery we learned that the soil engineering firm performed faulty testing and did not detect that the engineered fill under our clients’ homes was inadequately compacted. We employed a divide and conquer settlement strategy that left the soils engineer settling last and on terms highly favorable to our clients.

When a general contractor excavated the toe of an unstable slope he set off a landslide that severely damaged uphill homes. We represented the homeowners in their negligence claims against the contractor, property owner, and engineers working on the project. After settling with all defendants but the contractor, we tried the case putting on and cross-examining expert geotechnical engineers, appraisers, contractors, and our clients. The case settled on very favorable terms when it became apparent there would be a judgment in excess of the contractor’s policy limits.