Dive Brief:
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Nearly 1,000 elderly homeowners are suing the country’s 19th-largest home builder for allegedly ignoring building codes and architect plans in about 600 homes in Washington state.
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The 89-page lawsuit alleges that California-based Shea Homes did not install required metal flashings around windows, which are designed to prevent water intrusion; use a mold-deterring paint; or affix moisture barriers on garages. The homeowners allege that each house suffered tens of thousands of dollars in damages—including rot and mold—and that the builder knew about the problems but failed to reveal them.
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A lawyer for the homeowners said he believes the lawsuit is the state’s largest ever against a home builder.
Dive Insight:
Shea settled a separate, $2.4 million lawsuit over mold with 850 homeowners in the same community in 2011. A year later, the homeowners filed another class-action complaint, but a judge ruled they each had to sue individually. The lawyer for the new lawsuit said he will again seek class-action status.