Trilogy homeowners meet with Shea representatives

Published 11:06 am Friday, October 31, 2014

Since a group of homeowners from Trilogy on Redmond Ridge filed a class-action lawsuit against Shea Homes, Inc., the California-based homebuilder has admitted to making mistakes while building the homes, which are marketed to elderly buyers.

The lawsuit was filed Oct. 10 in federal court for the Western District of Washington.

A number of public meetings with the homeowners and Shea have been held since then. The most recent meeting was on Tuesday.

“The room was at capacity,” said Steve Berman — whose Seattle-based law firm Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP, along with Levy–von Beck & Associates (also in Seattle), is representing the plaintiffs. “There were over 200 people.”

According to a prepared statement from Shea, the purpose of the meetings “was to work directly with our homeowners, listen to any concerns they had, and provide information on the various options available to them to address any issues they have with their homes.”

“We appreciated the many homeowners who attended these meetings to share their perspective and concerns,” the statement reads. “As a result of those meetings and other outreach, we have been scheduling individual meetings with homeowners to evaluate any issues they may have with their homes.”

The statement continues, saying the individual meetings help homeowners make “an informed decision on the options available to them.”

“We are currently working with many homeowners at Trilogy at Redmond Ridge who have provided us an opportunity to resolve their issues without the need for litigation,” the statement reads. “We are pleased that so many homeowners have chosen to work with us in this manner.”

The statement encourages any homeowner who has not already done so to schedule a home evaluation by contacting them at customerservice@trilogylife.com.

Berman said Shea has offered to pay to fix and address any issues homeowners have been experiencing. As previously reported, some of those issues include water intrusion and rot damage caused by a lack of exterior waterproofing components.

In addition to admitting to these mistakes, Berman said the company has admitted to other mistakes homeowners did not know about. One of those mistakes was the fact that the company used cement fiber boards instead of plywood on the homes’ roofs. He said Shea also installed roofing support every four feet instead of every two feet and as a result, hundreds of Trilogy homes built in 2010 and later have sagging roofs.

“That’s an expensive repair,” Berman said, adding that while Shea has offered to pay to repair their mistakes, it is still not enough money.

Another mistake the company has admitted to is not removing dampers when installing vents and furnaces and as a result, people’s furnaces have broken down earlier than they should, Berman said.

The attorney said since the Reporter first reported on the story, more homeowners have come forward to join the lawsuit. It was previously reported that about 600 Trilogy homes were represented in the class-action suit. Berman said they now have more than 700 and that number is growing.

He said they plan to file a second complaint to include the homeowners who have just come forward. Berman said they will also amend the original complaint to include the newly revealed mistakes Shea has admitted to.