October 1st, 2011
Ward & Hagen consults with and is retained by Homeowners Associations of all sizes throughout Southern California. Our attorneys and staff have years of experience in managing complex litigation and insuring that it moves forward in the most efficient and effective way possible.
By way of example, the Homeowners Association of a new 14 story, 90 plus unit condominium tower in downtown San Diego has retained Ward & Hagen in their effort to fix defects throughout the building. The building is facing potential water intrusion into their four story, below grade parking structure. The windows in the building are also showing signs of leaking on all stories of the structure. The cost to repair the building could be in the millions of dollars. Ward & Hagen is fighting to insure that the HOA recovers funds sufficient to repair the defects and avoid costly assessments to the homeowners.
If you are a condominium owner and/or board member, and would like more information from our firm, please contact us. We will be happy to set up a meeting and to evaluate your needs.
Tags: Condominiums, Construction Defects, Homeowners Associations
Posted in Construction Defects |
October 1st, 2011
Ward & Hagen and San Francisco class action attorney Julio J. Ramos are pursuing a class action against a major California Bank. Employees of the bank allegedly helped facilitate a “ponzi scheme” that defrauded over 400 investors of not less than $23,000,000. The action is currently pending in Los Angeles Superior Court.
Tags: Class Actions, Fraud, Ponzi Scheme
Posted in Consumer and Class Action |
May 4th, 2011
A landscape architect and pool contractor retained Ward & Hagen when the million dollar landscape project they had been working on was cancelled by the owner of the home in Los Angeles County. The owner of the home, a well known professional athlete, denied that any contract existed and refused to acknowledge the work that was already complete. After taking several out of state depositions, a settlement for a confidential amount was reached.
Tags: Business Litigation, Contract Litigation
Posted in Consumer and Class Action, Real Estate |
February 21st, 2011
Ward & Hagen represented the Homeowners Association of a 250 unit complex in an action against the builder for construction defects in the buildings. The litigation lasted several years and required careful management of the investigation costs. A successful settlement was reached and repairs to the buildings were begun.
Tags: Construction Defects, Homeowners Associations, Leaking Windows, Mold, Real Estate, Stucco
Posted in Construction Defects |
October 1st, 2010
Attorneys at Ward & Hagen represented a family in Encinitas whose newly constructed single-family home was showing significant damage from soils movement. The family attempted to have the builder assess and fix the problem, but only saw delays as the damage to their home became more apparent. The builder and subcontractors were responsible for the rough grading of the half acre lot and expert testing showed the soils around the home were moving and would continue to do so for an indefinite period of time. A global settlement was reached for over $837,000 representing cost of repairs for extensive work to re-level the slab and foundations and to stabilize the underlying soils as well as to compensate the homeowners for loss of use of the home during the period of repairs.
Tags: Construction Defects, Cracked Slabs, Soils
Posted in Construction Defects, Consumer and Class Action |
June 25th, 2010
A corporation hired Ward & Hagen when the three floors of Class A office space they were leasing became difficult to inhabit due to leaking windows. When the leasing company refused to acknowledge the leaks, the corporation chose to relocate their office. The leasing company sued for the entire amount remaining on the lease. Ward & Hagen showed a lack of mitigation on the part of the leasing company, and a settlement was reached for a savings of over $6,000,000 from what was claimed by the leasing company.
Tags: Business Litigation, Contract Litigation, Leaking Windows, Office lease
Posted in Corporate and Commercial |
June 1st, 2010
Attorneys at Ward & Hagen represented a family in Encinitas who had purchased a home, only to find significant water damage and mold in the ceiling and walls of their child’s bedroom. At mediation, the Defendants (Sellers and real estate agents) offered a combined $10,000. Upon further investigation/discovery, a prior occupant of the home was located who testified that the problems all predated the sale and all current damages could be linked to prior failed repair attempts. None of these prior problems had been disclosed by seller and directly contradicted the seller’s sworn deposition testimony. In the month prior to trial, the Defendants agreed to settle for a total of $215,000
Tags: Mold, Non-disclosure, Personal Injury, Real Estate
Posted in Consumer and Class Action, Real Estate |
October 4th, 2009
Attorneys at Ward & Hagen represented the owners of an upscale tract home in the new 4S Ranch community of San Diego. The family discovered during the first rainstorm that many of the windows and doors leaked. In good faith, the family allowed the builder to test and repair the problems. Over the course of a year, the builder spent more than $500,000 on repair attempts but serious problems still remained unresolved. Litigation ensued and expert testing showed that a majority of the doors and windows still leaked, despite the money and time spent on repairs. The defendants agreed to a global settlement of $552,025.
Tags: Construction Defects, Leaking Doors, Leaking Windows, Mold, Single Family Homes
Posted in Construction Defects |
August 13th, 2009
Attorneys at Ward & Hagen represented the owners of 13 homes in 4S Ranch against the builder, Christopher Homes. The homes were experiencing leaking doors and windows, stucco defects and plumbing defects. The case was successfully resolved for a settlement of over $500,000.
Tags: Construction Defects, Leaking Doors, Leaking Windows, Single Family Homes, Soils, Stucco
Posted in Construction Defects |
March 4th, 2009
Attorneys at Ward & Hagen represented the owners of six homes within the Rancho Carrillo development of La Costa, California. Built by Pacific Crest Communities, Inc. the homes were experiencing construction defects including leaking windows, doors, and plumbing systems; extensive stucco cracking; and lack of french drains in the rear yard retaining walls, as required per city code. The court compelled arbitration based on a clause in the contract and the case was presented before Judge Robert May (Ret.). Plaintiffs received a final award of $506,223.88, which included a partial settlement of peripheral issues. The awards to Plaintiffs were in excess of 998 offers that had been made, and as a result, Plaintiffs also recovered their costs.
Tags: Arbitration, Construction Defects, Leaking Doors, Leaking Windows, Real Estate, Single Family Homes, Verdicts and Awards
Posted in Construction Defects |