News Release: Orange County Superior Court Judge Theirry Colaw today certified a class of Ladera Ranch home owners who are accusing Centex Homes and Pulte Homes of installing copper pipes that leak. Newport Beach law firm Bridgford, Gleason & Artinian LLP filed Del Rivero v. Centex Homes, et al. in May 2013 on behalf of Enrique and Anna Del Rivero. The case is one of 15 copper pipe leak lawsuits the firm has filed against major homebuilders in several Orange County communities.
“The Del Rivero’s and other homeowners deserve to have pipes that don’t leak,” says Richard K. Bridgford, lead attorney and founding partner of Bridgford, Gleason & Artinian. “Homeowners should not have to constantly worry about when the next leak will come, about their insurance getting canceled for too many leak claims, or about having to spend thousands of dollars in deductibles or repairs. After four years of heavy litigation, Judge Colaw’s decision is a major victory for plaintiffs who can now move forward as a class.”
Judge Colaw of the Orange County Complex Department has been assigned all the related copper cases filed by Bridgford, but decided to stay the others to first make a ruling on Del Rivero, the lead case, as there are many overlapping similarities between each lawsuit.
“Copper pipe leaks have plagued hundreds of homeowners all over Orange County,” says Bridgford. “It’s time the plaintiffs had the chance to seek reimbursement after enduring years of hassle with insurance claims and unsightly, and in some cases, unhealthy conditions in their homes.”
Bridgford has already secured a $7 million settlement with William Lyon Homes and a $2 million settlement with MBK Builders, both in Ladera Ranch. In May 2017, a third case received preliminary settlement approval.
Seven other cases from Ladera Ranch are still pending against D.R. Horton, K. Hovnanian, John Laing Homes, Richmond American Homes, Shea Homes, CalAtlantic Homes (formerly called Standard Pacific) and Pardee Homes. In San Clemente, two cases are pending against Pulte Homes and CalAtlantic Homes. In Yorba Linda, two cases are pending against Pulte Homes and Woodbridge Pacific Group. In Irvine, two cases against Pardee Homes and WL Homes LLC are pending before the court.
All Orange County copper pipe cases were filed by Bridgford and his Partner Michael H. Artinian along with their co-counsel Brian S. Kabateck and Richard Kellner of Kabateck Brown Kellner LLP and John Patrick McNicholas of McNicholas and McNicholas LLP.