Real estate giant Shea Homes is the subject of the largest-ever mass-action lawsuit in the state of Washington. The suit, brought by 1500 plaintiffs at Trilogy Estates in Redmond, asserts that Shea Homes failed to construct the high-end, over-55 condominium community according to standards appropriate for the wet weather of the Pacific Northwest.
The November suit is the latest in a string of lawsuits filed on behalf of homeowners at Trilogy. A 2010 class action suit was settled by Shea Homes in 2012 for $2.4 milllion; a second pending lawsuit was filed in 2012. Then in October 2014, Steven Berman of the national class-action law firm Hagens Berman and Dave von Beck of Levy – von Beck & Associates filed a $30 million class action suit on behalf of more than 950 plaintiffs who together own 600 homes at Trilogy at Redmond Ridge. The complaint alleges that Shea Homes representatives knowingly ignored architect’s plans and building codes intended to prevent water intrusion and rot damage, resulting in tens of thousands of dollars in damage to each affected home.
The most recent lawsuit adds additional plaintiffs, bringing the total to 1500, and amends the original complaint. Lawyers for the plantiffs claim that small animals were able to enter Trilogy homes through water-damaged roofs that were not adequately or quickly repaired, wreaking havoc on homeowners’ lives. Claiming Shea Homes knew about the problems since 2007, plaintiff attorney Dave Von Beck said, “It seems that Shea believed these issues could be swept under the rug. Not only have residents been forced to pay for extensive home repairs – they’ve also been forced to live in homes with rotting wood, sagging roofs and that are plagued by vermin and mold.”
Shea Homes has consistently denied any wrongdoing in the matter, and states that the builder has been working with Triology Estate homeowners to mitigate water damage and make necessary repairs.
About Shea HomesA division of J.F. Shea Co., Inc., Shea Homes is the largest privately owned new home builder in the United States. Located in the Los Angeles suburb of Walnut, California, the company enjoys a solid reputation as a developer of mid- to- high-priced communities in California, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Nevada, Washington, North Carolina and South Carolina. Named Builder of the Year by Builder’s Magazine in 2005, Shea Homes also earned the JD Powers Customer Service Champion award in 2011.
The company’s legal troubles thus far are limited to the retirement community at Triology Estates.