The Miller Law Firm Recovers $12 Million for Ladera Ranch Condominium Associations Plagued with Construction Defects

PR Newswire

ORANGE COUNTY, Calif., Aug. 29, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Miller Law Firm has reached a construction defect settlement in excess of $4.7 Million for a Condominium Association located in the master planned community of Ladera Ranch. This is the fourth construction defect settlement The Miller Law Firm has obtained for Ladera Ranch homeowners associations in the last four years alone, with a total recovery of $12 Million.

The identity of the property, the defendants and the insurers are strictly confidential under the terms of the final settlement agreement. This involves a 152-unit condominium project in Ladera Ranch, which settled in mediation for $4,732,878.34 against the developer, subcontractors and their insurance company. The SB 800 claim and subsequent litigation concerned deficiencies in building construction and materials including the siding, plumbing line leaks, roof, balcony decks, streets and sidewalks. This development, like so many others in Ladera Ranch, was plagued with significant copper plumbing leaks that cost the Association thousands of dollars to repair during the course of the lawsuit. These repair costs, along with the cost to replace the plumbing system in its entirety, were a large part of the settlement.

According to Thomas E. Miller, CEO of The Miller Law Firm, "The Board of Directors of this Community Association retained our services for their construction defect claim just shy of their 10^th year of completion. In the state of California, an Association can only pursue a claim against the Builder for building performance violations within this 10 year time period. Facing this strict deadline to either serve the builder or assess the membership in excess of tens of thousands of dollars per unit, the Board made the appropriate decision to retain litigation counsel to secure the funds needed to repair the buildings, restore their community and protect owner investments."

According to Senior Partner Rachel M. Miller, "While the identity of each Association remains confidential under the Developer's settlement terms, it's important to be aware that this is not the only community in the highly-affluent Ladera Ranch neighborhood to undergo the construction defect claims process. Upscale developments are not immune to sub-standard building conditions or builder claims, and as consumer advocates, we believe these strict confidentiality terms to be a disservice to owners and buyers investing in these luxury communities."

Thomas E. Miller, Rachel M. Miller & Matthew T. Miller of The Miller Law Firm (www.ConstructionDefects.com) are the co-authors of, "Home and Condo Defects: A Consumer Guide to Faulty Construction," (Seven Locks Press, 2012), available online at www.amazon.com. Celebrating 40 years, The Miller Law Firm was awarded the National Litigator Award by the Trial Lawyers Board of Regents for the second consecutive year. This award honors only the top 1% of attorneys in the nation and based strictly on tangible verdict & settlement dollar achievement.