You’ve just got to be suspicious when a bunch of lawyers start urging lawmakers to protect their ability to sue builders.
There’s no question that builders need to take responsibility for defective construction. But remember that lawyers automatically take at least third of any money they get from successfully suing contractors. Heck, Las Vegas lawyers were reaping almost 100% of all money collected from builders. That’s why the FBI raided 100 Homeowner Associations and has filed corruption and organized crime charges against 24 people, including a number of lawyers. The Las Vegas scandal is so huge that many more lawyers, judges, and public officials will be charged in future months.
But, in any event, after a lawsuit there’s not much money left to actually cover the cost of repairs.
But lawyers in Florida are lobbying Governor Rick Scott to veto HB 103, a bill that would revise the relationship between builders and homeowners. Instead of allowing lawyers unfettered access to legal fees, a better idea is to work out a state mandate to hold builders financially responsible for repairs, without running it through the financial scam known as “legal fees.” Homeowners who suffer through defective construction need to be awarded 100% of their losses, not what’s left over after the legal fees are paid.
Ward Lucas
Author of
Neighbors At War: The Creepy Case Against Your Homeowners Association
