Residents in landslide area fear more cracks in walls 
Some evacuated San Antonio residents say more cracks have shown up in retaining walls meant to halt sliding soil and protect their homes. Residents of The Hills of Rivermist said they started noticing the cracks after heavy rains several weeks ago. Some residents stopped by the site Wednesday, in the neighborhood where slipping soil on Jan. 24 forced the evacuation of about 90 houses.  Sherwin Tolentino, who's still living in a hotel, showed reporters apparent unstability in a fence and foundation problems. Tolentino says cracks have opened in a large retaining wall behind his house. City spokeswoman Di Galvan says a building inspector Wednesday could find no new damage. Centex Homes has hired an engineering firm for evaluation and recommendations on fixing the soil problem.

New cracks found in Rivermist walls
Residents say new cracks have opened in retaining walls in a Northwest Side neighborhood where the collapse of one wall led to the evacuation of more than two dozen homes. The affected walls are independent of the one that sustained the collapse, but are nearby. “There's one that's very significant,” said Sherwin Tolentino, a resident who has been evacuated from his home for five weeks. “I could put my fingers between the cracks. You're looking at a ticking time bomb.”

Top Secret Damage control. Evacuated homeowner frustrated with builder
...for the first time you can see up close the foundation problems homeowners are dealing with because of the failed retaining wall at the Hills of Rivermist.  At first, security didn't let us on the property, even though we were invited by Sherwin Tolentino, an evacuated homeowner. But once in the backyard of the home at 8243 Rockwell Vista, KENS 5 cameras captured an unstable fence with gaps in the ground and growing foundation problems.  Related KENS News 5 Coverage

Spokesman: $51M verdict in Perry Homes lawsuit is ‘jackpot justice’
FORT WORTH, Texas -- A spokesman for a politically influential Houston homebuilder is calling a $51 million Tarrant County jury verdict in a consumer lawsuit against the builder "jackpot justice."  Anthony Holm is a spokesman for Perry Homes and major political contributor Bob Perry. Holm calls the award to Robert and Jane Cull of Mansfield "equivalent to every single resident in Texas depositing $2 into the lawyer’s bank account" and said it would be appealed.  The Culls sued Perry Homes over problems with their home’s foundation and construction. The Monday verdict came after the Texas Supreme Court overturned an $800,000 arbitration award. Holm says Perry offered to buy back the house at full price, but the Culls refused the offer. Calls to the Culls and their attorney, Daniel K. Hagood, weren’t returned Tuesday. Perry has given millions of dollars to state and federal candidates.

Texas Watch: Jury Sends Message: Corporate Abuse Will Not Be Tolerated
15 years ago, Bob and Jane Cull bought what they thought was their dream retirement home in Mansfield, Texas.  The home – built by Perry Homes – started to show signs of foundation failure and other major structural defects shortly after they moved in.  Perry Homes refused to repair the defects, forcing the Culls to take their builder to arbitration where he was ordered to pay $800,000. Rather than simply comply, Perry Homes appealed the decision.  After years of languishing at the Texas Supreme Court – which has a long history of forcing consumers to accept binding arbitration – the state high court eventuallyvacated the arbitrators judgment on a 5-4 vote in 2008, sending the case back to state court.  All nine members of the state’s high court had received political contributions from Bob Perry, the nation’s largest individual campaign contributor.  Perry thought he could simply wear out the Culls by dragging them through appeal after appeal.  He underestimated the resolve of individuals who know their cause is right and just.

Political moneyman Bob Perry ordered to pay $51 million
A jury has ordered Houston homebuilder Bob Perry to pay $51 million to an elderly Mansfield couple who fought for a decade over a defective house that Perry Homes refused to fix. Perry is the biggest campaign contributor in Texas and a major figure in so-called tort reform championed by Gov. Rick Perry (no relation) to limit lawsuits against business. Bob Perry has resisted paying the couple for a decade, instead taking the couple's case case through the courts. Bob and Jane Cull say Perry wouldn't fix their house and so went to arbitration, where they won an $800,000 judgment. Perry refused to pay. He appealed for years through the court system until the Texas Supreme Court finally sent the case back to district court in Fort Worth. Every member of the high court had received campaign contributions from Perry..."It feels like a modern day David and Goliath triumph. Certainly, God had a hand in this justice, said Jane Cull's sister, Judy Noble. "At last, truth and right trumps power and money.

Wealthy Homebuilder and Powerful Political Campaign Contributor Bob Perry found legally responsible for construction defects and punitive damages
“Justice has been served.  We are grateful and in a state of shock” said, Jane Cull after the verdict was read...Finally the Culls have been vindicated.  Until Texas Lawmaker pass legislation to regulate and license the building industry, powerful Tycoons like Bob Perry have no incentive to build homes right the first time or treat their customer with respect or stand behind the homes they build” said, Janet Ahmad, National President of Home Owners for Better Building . See: Court Decision Document 1 -  Court Decision Document 2

Another view re Citizen Leader PAC
Here’s a big reason why the attack on Smith looks fishy: Smith played a critical role in the unraveling of an outrageous abuse of the public trust — the Texas Residential Construction Commission.Largely at the behest of homebuilder Bob Perry (who, with his wife, donated $25,000 to Cason and $5,000 to Smith in this race), the Legislature created a new agency [in 2003--pb] to referee home construction defect disputes and imposed a tax on new homes. But the bill’s fine print knocked out the state’s Deceptive Trade Practice Act and all implied warranties, replacing them with rules drawn up by a stacked commission, whose membership included Perry’s general counsel. (Smith voted against the builder’s bill.) Responding to constituent concerns, Smith asked then-Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn to investigate. Her report documented the one-sided nature of the agency and its dispute resolution process, and that began a chain of events that led to the agency’s abolition by the Legislature. In other words, Smith blew the whistle on an unfair gravy train for homebuilders, and these attacks have the appearance of revenge politics.

Pawlenty delivered Texan's $100K check to Ala. GOP
Minnessota Gov. Tim Pawlenty says the $100,000 check he delivered to the Alabama GOP on Friday came from Bod Perry, a Houston homebuilder and major Republican donor.  Perry was instrumental in Pawlenty's 2006 re-election in Minesota. Perry contributed $500,000 to A Stronger America, which ran ads against Pawlenty's Democratic opponent late in the campaign.

Drywall victims confront Gov. Crist
The message from homeowners with defective drywall came through loud and clear Friday to Gov. Charlie Crist. A group of about 35 of them gathered outside his campaign fundraiser in Port Charlotte. "No help, no vote," they chanted, waving home-made protest signs, as Crist arrived at the Cultural Center of Charlotte County for a $150-per-plate dinner.  He walked to meet the group, who are from Cape Coral, Punta Gorda, North Port, Venice, Sun City Center and Tampa.  They wasted no time bombarding Crist with pleas for help. Their No. 1 demand is an emergency declaration from Crist so FEMA funds can be released to help the homeowners.

A message from Janet Ahmad: Pulte-Centex Dominates the News as Houses Teeter on Hillside

City code inspectors accused of taking bribes
When the retaining wall in the Rivermist subdivision collapsed last month, city inspectors admitted they didn't know the wall was even there.  Now, the news four WOAI trouble shooters uncovered new concerns that city inspectors aren’t doing enough to keep you safe inside your home.  When your house is under construction, city inspectors are supposed to inspect things like the plumbing and electrical wiring to make sure it's done right.  But we've uncovered some inspectors are the target of a criminal investigation for allegedly taking bribes from contractors in exchange for approving work they never checked.

Couple sues home builder for shoddy home
Mold, cracked walls, unlevel ground, leaking floors. Not exactly something you want to deal with after moving into your remodeled home.  It's a situation Robert Overby and his family faced. That was three years ago.  "To buy the home, to make repairs, to make engineers come out... we've spent over $300,000 dollars," says Robert.  Robert wants the builder to fix these problems soon. A state commission came out in 2007 and found there were significant defects to the home...The builder has offered to buy the Overby home, but the couple refused because it's less than the contract price. They are now suing the city, SAWS, CPS, and the builder for 1.2 million dollars.

Toyota, Pulte learning crisis management
Toyota's issues with unintended acceleration, floor mats, brakes and recalls and Pulte/Centex Homes' association with a frightening retaining wall failure have absorbed big chunks of San Antonio news media attention in recent weeks. Both situations offer useful lessons about crisis management to other organizations.

Residents Worried About Retaining Wall
Homeowners are worried about their safety and security, as they try to figure out where to turn to have the problem fixed.  The problem is easy to see; along a utility easement, a line of uneven, unstable fences are shifting due to an unstable retaining wall. Homeowner Nannette Neugart says the fence in her backyard completely collapsed one Christmas Eve...  Neighbors said they believe their safety and security are at risk.