Scheming Attorneys Raise Cost of New Homes

* The article (“Underlying Problems,” Dec. 8) on construction defect litigation involving concrete foundations pointed out a matter requiring attention. But it overstated the problem and suggested the wrong solution.

High-sulfate soil is rare in Orange County. While serious, the cost of repairing damaged foundations is nowhere near the $620,000 per home quoted by the attorneys’ “experts.”

Effective, less expensive remedies can be applied if home builders and home buyers can work together through arbitration without the costly intervention of plaintiffs’ attorneys, many of whom work for 40% contingency fees producing multimillion dollar rewards for the lawyers. Arbitration is a real threat to these attorneys, so they fight to have it prohibited.

Marathon lawsuits promoted by this small group of attorneys are destroying home affordability and even home building in Southern California.

The attorney quoted in the article called the problems with foundations a scandal. It’s not. It’s a solvable matter. The true scandal is that unscrupulous litigation mills ultimately increase the cost of a new home for the home buyer.

--CHRISTINE M. DIEMER, executive director

Building Industry Assn. of Southern California,

Orange County chapter