Filed July 11, 2008 at 7:13 pm by Chris Giganti in , , , , , , .

D.R. Horton faces mold lawsuits

You might remember the story we ran about a month ago about a Daniel Island family who home was attacked by mold, essentially running them out of their home.

Well, that’s hardly been the end of it. Several other families recently talked about having mold problems with their D.R. Horton-built homes, as well. And today it’s being reported that three Daniel Island homeowners have filed lawsuits against the home builder, as well as one from Moncks Corner.

To boot, a fourth Daniel Island lawsuit is in the works.

From The Post and Courier:

“The crux of the claim is defective construction … the end result is mold,” said Jesse Kirchner, who is representing the homeowners. Kirchner said he will file a suit for the same reasons on behalf of a fourth Daniel Island homeowner.

Poor workmanship and lack of appropriate window flashings are factors in the water intrusion, he said.

…

Kirchner declined to identify the plaintiffs in the suits until he contacted them first. The suits were filed in Berkeley County Court of Common Pleas.

From Live 5 News:

Terrence Tully of Moisture Control Experts discovered the mold that sent the families packing over the last month. He says they were smart to call in experts when they smelled a problem.

“Visual is usually the biggest, if you see mold. Some homes you just smell it. Its hidden,” Tully Said.

…

D.R. Horton Inc. released this statement to Channel 5 saying “D.R. Horton Inc. is committed to providing its customers with a quality home. The company has retained third-party engineers and air quality experts to examine the homeowners’ claims, and will offer to make any repairs the third-party experts recommend to correct problems with the original construction.”

It sounds like a rough time for D.R. Horton. No wonder they aren’t saying much at the moment.

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3 comments on this post

July 11th, 2008
11:09 pm

Some home builders take shortcuts that virtually guarantee a new home will leak. I’d be surprised if expert testing didn’t reveal at least one or more of the commenest shortcuts I’ve seen: Omission of window flashing or roof flashing; No house wrap; improper grading/drainage; caulk used for everything instead of proper permament construction methods; improperly installed siding or stucco. There is no good excuse for a new house to leak and rot. Far too many builders now take serious shortcuts. When so few can hold them accountable due to arbitration clauses that prevent suing, it’s profitable in the long run to take such shortcuts. Plus, if the labor is unskilled as it usually is, honest mistakes also get covered up. The homeowner buying new these days better either hire, or become, a structural engineer, a home inspector, and a lawyer. Between the shortcuts and the one-sided contracts and illusory “warranties,” you’re spending an awful lot of money on what sometimes turns out to be a disposable building. I HOPE these people CAN sue. Maybe they have a good lawyer. That in itself can be a challenge when one does not know any lawyers.

— Posted by Guest (not verified).
July 15th, 2008
9:19 am

Interesting-couple of people have a problem with their home-builder says “The company has retained third-party engineers and air quality experts to examine the homeowners’ claims, and will offer to make any repairs the third-party experts recommend to correct problems with the original construction.” And will offer to make ANY repairs!!!! And we get a commment in the original article that states “no wonder they aren’t saying much at the moment, and a response that states “I hope they can sue”. Lets dump on the builder and all builders in general, and lets clog the courts with time consuming and expensive lawsuits, when all the people need is their problem solved. Go back to the “not saying much ” response(why do you need to say anymore than “we’‘ll look into it, and “we’ll fix it”?) Or am I reading another article?)

— Posted by Matt (not verified).
July 15th, 2008
4:36 pm

A great green product to remove mold and musty odors is www.mightymicros.com. This product was university tested and osha tested for voc’s and showed it was safe for human and pets…

— Posted by Guest (not verified).

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