PEOPLE magazine
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Sandra Bullock Scores $7 Mil Legal Victory
Thursday Oct 14, 2004 4:00pm EST
By Alicia Dennis
A jury has awarded actress Sandra Bullock nearly $7 million in a long-awaited verdict pitting Bullock against the former architect and builder of her lakefront Austin home.

                                     
Sandra Bullock the homeowner gets her happy ending
Envelope, please… It’s Sandra
By Claire Osborn
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
October 15, 2004
After four years of maintaining a house she couldn't live in, months of legal wrangling with the builder and seven weeks of tedious testimony in a cramped Travis County courtroom, actress Sandra Bullock finally got her happy ending. Jurors overwhelmingly decided Thursday that local home builder Benny Daneshjou and his associates owe Bullock an estimated $7 million for shoddy construction of a 10,000-square-foot home overlooking Lake Austin.. Major flaws experts found: 
Incorrect roof  framing
Defective or missing flashing, which caused water leaks
Faulty construction of windows and doors
Torn or missing waterproof membrane under masonry
Source: construction, architectural and engineering experts for Bullock who testified during trial

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                              
October 15, 2004                                                  

A victory for Sandra Bullock is a victory for many
HomeOwners for Better Building at trial in support of Bullock
Austin, Texas –
“A victory for Sandra Bullock brings to an end a long grueling trial that sends a loud message to lawmakers, the homebuilding industry and a message of hope for homebuyers of defective homes across the nation.  For the first time in many years, one victim of a bad homebuilder has finally been heard,” said Janet Ahmad, national president of HomeOwners for Better Building.

Seven weeks of testimony to consider in case that pits Austin homebuilder against actress
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
After nearly seven weeks of testimony, jurors will begin deliberating today on who is to blame for the construction problems in a house overlooking Lake Austin that actress Sandra Bullock had built but never could occupy… "There was a conscious pattern of behavior established here to get the client in the door and just ratchet up the price mercilessly," Mizell said.   Sandra Bullock paid about $6.5 million for the house, but an insurance company valued it at $3.1 million, he said. Mizell asked the jurors to award the Bullocks $3.3 million for demolition and reconstruction. Part of the roof framing is lying against the chimney, and there are substantial areas within the drywall where it can't be determined whether fireblocking was built, Mizell said. Daneshjou also owes Sandra Bullock $2.7 million for the bills that she paid but that Daneshjou's company could not substantiate, Mizell said.

Sandra Bullock case goes to the Jury
HomeOwners for Better Building attends trial
"Because of Binding Arbitration in new homebuilder contracts for the past ten years, literally tens of thousands of homeowners with defective homes have been denied their day in court.  For the first time in many years, one victim of a bad homebuilder is finally being heard.  Those who attend soon forget that this story is about Sandra Bullock, the star.  It’s about something much bigger than celebrity, it about basic consumer law and the constitutional right of a trial by jury,” said Janet Ahmad, national president of HomeOwners for Better Building.

Sandra Bullock case goes to the Jury
HomeOwners for Better Building attends trial
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