Editorial: Texas courts' credibility problem
Nothing underscores this point better than the May 2 Texas Supreme Court decision favoring Perry Homes over homeowners Jane and Robert Cull. The court's decision, overturning two lower courts' rulings to compensate the Culls for a defective home, probably will be debated for years. But what isn't debatable is that the founder of Perry Homes, Bob Perry, is a major donor to the campaigns of the Supreme Court's justices. He, his family and their political action committees have donated more than $250,000 to the nine justices – all Republicans – including those who dissented in the Cull case.

Half-built homes becoming eyesores
In one Collin County neighborhood the weeds are growing and residents are growing impatient. It’s been 3 months since Buescher Homes, the large builder, went bankrupt. The fallout: half-built homes and now code compliance issues. But Frisco is reacting. They will mow 70 unsightly yards Monday after putting a lien on each property to get it done.

Web Extra: Don't be a sitting duck for costly roofing scams
Well, the Defenders found out that politics and special interests have made Texas a roofing scammers paradise. Texas is the only Gulf Coast state that doesn’t license roofers. Alex Winslow runs Texas Watch, a consumer watchdog group. He says making licensing the law would make roofers behave. “Accountability for roofing, is slim and none as it stands today.” ...every time a roofing licensing law has been introduced in the past five years, Fuentes says, he and his lobbyists went to work. Like in 2005 when the last version of the law came up—meeting with this man—Representative Kino Flores, Chair of the House Committee on Licensing.

Donors shouldn’t tip scales of justice
Retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor has railed about state courts being corrupted by large campaign contributions to elected judges. In her next speech about the influence of cash in the courtrooms, she will have a perfect example from Texas. Homebuilder Bob Perry has given millions of dollars to state and national political campaigns and candidates, including all nine members of the Texas Supreme Court. Perry hit the jackpot late last week as a divided Supreme Court ruled in favor of his company, Perry Homes, in an $800,000 arbitration case. Perry and his family have donated more than $260,000 to the justices.

A Triangle family's dream home literally turned into a nightmare 
Their brand new house left them with headaches and hospital bills. Deborah Moore tells Troubleshooter Diane Wilson, "We were dizzy, my head was hurting. My husband was dizzy." That's not the way you're supposed to feel right after moving into your brand new home. But Deborah headaches got even worse when she found out what was really wrong. She adds, "I'm like, what you mean a gas leak in a new home? I was stunned."... She wants KB to buy back the house. She says she just doesn't feel safe there.

A message from Janet Ahmad - Erin Brockovitch Confirms Contamination in Lennar Homes & Texas Supreme Court Grants Double Standard Decision to 'Bob the Builder' Perry

Give Texas homeowners better tools to force irresponsible builders to fix construction defects
The mounting numbers of unresolved complaints make increasingly clear that the Texas Residential Construction Commission Act, passed in the 2003 Legislature, has become for buyers of poorly constructed homes the nightmare many feared it would. Adding insult to this injurious legislation is how the law is falsely touted as an aide to homeowners stuck in shoddily built houses...families spent countless hours in futile attempts to get their builder to fix the problems and thousands of dollars out of pocket on repairs.Then the aggrieved owners were further abused by the Texas law that was supposed to help homeowners at the mercy of predatory builders.

TEXAS SUPREME COURT GRANTS DOUBLE STANDARD FOR BUILDER
The Robert and Jane Cull’s construction defects case was thought to be the only homeowner Binding Arbitration victory in Texas history until today, when it was overturned by the state’s highest court. The very rich Bob Perry has demonstrated in brazen fashion the lengths at which builders will seek relief from all warranty liability.  As for Robert and Jane Cull’s 11-year ordeal, no amount of Bob Perry’s money will ever compensate them for their years of being deprived of the full enjoyment their home they so valiantly fought to preserve.  The Texas high court and Bob Perry have this day made the case for the undeniable need for campaign finance reform and the passage of the Arbitration Fairness Act introduced by Senator Russ Feingold and Congressman Hank Johnson.

Texas Supreme Court ruling sides with prolific donor
Jane Cull said she and her husband, who's 70, were devastated. They've claimed the house they bought from Perry for $233,730 in 1996 had structural and framing defects that eventually caused the home's appraised value to plummet to $41,000 by 2001..."All we ever wanted was a home with a good foundation so we could retire and enjoy life," Jane Cull told the Houston Chronicle in Saturday's editions. "We've tried in vain and we've worked with the builder and did everything we could to avoid the legal process."

Texas Supreme Court rules against Mansfield couple in battle with homebuilder
The Texas Supreme Court ruled Friday in favor of Houston homebuilder Bob Perry, the state’s most prolific campaign contributor, in a case homeowner advocates say reflects the influence of big money over elected judges... Mr. Perry, who has given millions of dollars to state and federal candidates, and members of his family have contributed more than $260,000 to all nine members of the Supreme Court, either directly or through a political action committee. A spokesman for Mr. Perry hailed the decision and denied that political contributions played any part. Mrs. Cull, who said the case has taken a toll financially and emotionally, called the ruling “a sad day for Texas homeowners.” “All we ever wanted was a home with a good foundation, built properly, that could serve as our retirement home,” she said. “The little guy just can’t win, and that’s what’s so devastating about it.”

Erin Brockovich Sets Sights on Lennar
High-profile environmental advocate Erin Brockovich has been investigating possible health-damaging chemicals at a Lennar housing community in South Carolina. Next week, she will be unveiling test results that, she says, confirm the existence of methane and hazardous chemical contaminations at the site that are "of concern," TheStreet.com has learned...Last year, the EPA tested the air quality of 19 homes in the community and found methane levels, but the agency concluded that all of the homes were "significantly below the lower explosive limit for methane."

Texas Supreme Court Bails Out Bob Perry
 Alex Winslow, Executive Director of Texas Watch, released the following statement: “After years of forcing consumers into a lopsided binding arbitration process, the Court today carved out a special decision for the man who gives the Court more campaign cash than any other individual in the state...“This decision is little more than a bail out for a major political moneyman, and is the latest in a long line of pro-defendant rulings by our state’s highest court.”

Houston homebuilder Bob Perry wins big in Texas Supreme Court
The Texas Supreme Court today overturned an $800,000 judgment that a Dallas-area couple had won against Houston homebuilder Bob Perry and the companies that warranty his home construction business. The case has brought scrutiny to the court in the past because Perry has donated almost $95,000 to court justices. And the Hillco PAC, which has received almost two-thirds of its funding from Perry, has given the court another $95,000, according to a report compiled last year by Texans for Public Justice.

COMMUNITY AND PRESS RELEASE:
Erin Brockovich along with the Law Offices of Girardi and Keese and Masry and Vititoe have been investigating VOC and METHANE contamination of indoor air and sub-slab soils at homes in the Westcott Plantation area. Experts have traveled to this site and test results have CONFIRMED that there is VOC and METHANE contamination of the indoor air and the sub-slab soils that are of concern. We have been retained by community members and are having a community meeting on May 6, 2008 at Charleston Place Hotel, 205 Meeting Street at 6:30 p.m. for the residents to discuss test results, future testing and potential health impacts. Erin Brockovich.  Undisclosed source says KB Home to be named in conjunction with Wescott lawsuit.

Lennar Neighborhood Meeting to be held in Hutto Texas - May 10, 2008
Are you experiencing problems with your Lennar Home.  Exspansive shifting soil, roofing defects, nail pops in drywall, plumbing and foundation problems... State and government representatives will be in attendance to help you find solutions for your defective home.  YOU ARE NOT ALONE!  Learn what others are doing to resolve their problems.