Shantel
The Miller Law Firm has recovered $3,950,000 for a boutique Ocean Avenue condominium association for construction defect related damages in only 11 months, amounting to a significant per-unit recovery of $263,333.
1490 Ocean Avenue (also known as “The Crimson”) is a 4-story luxury midrise located in the Westwood Park neighborhood near Ingleside. The Board of Directors of this mixed-use condominium and commercial building engaged specialty defect counsel The Miller Law Firm when the building was only 4 years old in their pursuit against the builder parties, including San Mateo based Real Estate Developer Dragonfly Investments Group, now called Veev Group Inc., known as a tech startup focused on building in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Faced with serious construction defects, including, but not limited to, stucco water intrusion and resultant elevated moisture levels and fungal growth, cracked and discolored stucco with ultraviolet deterioration, efflorescence and corrosion throughout the project, as well as a life-safety concern when veneer tiles dislodged from the exterior of the building falling onto the pedestrian sidewalk in front of the commercial units, the Board of Directors turned to The Miller Law Firm and served the builder entities with a notice of construction defects and building standards violations in October of 2021. The $263,333 per-unit recovery was reached in mediation facilitated by Gerald A. Kurland, Esq. of JAMS only 11 months later.
According to Senior Partner Rachel M. Miller, “It’s important for consumers and real estate investors to understand that even buildings marketed and sold as ‘luxury’ are not immune to construction defects, and high-end condo and townhome communities experience serious water intrusion and resulting damage. Fortunately, these claims can be resolved efficiently in under one year and Boards of Directors have recourse in preserving homeowner investments under the SB 800 claims process.”
According to Founding Partner Thomas E. Miller, “The 1490 Ocean Board of Directors relied on our local expertise and reputation of maximizing per-unit recoveries for our HOA clients. At over $260k per-unit, this far exceeds the average construction defect settlement in the Bay Area and the Association is well equipped to restore the luxury building to its original value.”
Celebrating 40 years of practice, The Miller Law Firm (www.constructiondefects.com) continues to be California’s construction defect authority and leading resource for San Francisco homeowners, Boards of Directors, and community management. The newly released 3rd Edition of, Home and Condo Defects: A Consumer Guide to Faulty Construction (2022), was written to aid and assist homeowners, board members and association management companies in pursuing legitimate claims against builders and their insurance companies.
The Miller’s legal treatise, Handling Construction Defects, now in its fourth edition, remains the definitive practice guide for lawyers, mediators, arbitrators and judges.
