Formal complaint against new home builder issued
The Department of Consumer Protection issued an administrative complaint today against Lloyd Bowden and Bowden Development TLI LLC, of Essex, Connecticut, for violations of state laws regarding the New Home Construction Contractors Act and the Unfair Trade Practices Act, Commissioner Jerry Farrell, Jr, announced... “Building materials and some of the modular unit themselves were not protected from the elements and sustained significant damage,” Farrell said. “It is hard to believe, but the modular homes assembled by Bowden were not secured to their foundations, nor were they bolted together per the manufacturer’s installation instructions. As a result, many homeowners were left in the cold, having to secure alternative housing. Some of the necessary repairs remain incomplete and we hope to obtain restitution for these consumers.” ...Upon meeting certain conditions, victims are eligible for up to $30,000 in compensation per contract from the Guaranty Fund.

Family Says Belongs Held Hostage By KB Homes
The Saragosa family says they refused to sign a paper saying they were satisfied with the work on their home, so their property is being withheld.KB would not release my item (furniture) until I signed this agreement that I was satisfied with the work done on my home. After making two phone calls, Saragosa finally found out what happened to her furniture and other items. Saragosa said that homebuilder KB Home apparently was holding her items in storage and wouldn't release them until she signed an agreement saying she was satisfied with the work. Comment on this news report 

Meet Big Business' Favorite Granny
US Chamber of Commerce Granny: Her winnings? A whopping $281, plus the arbitrator's fee. Kruse concludes that without arbitration, "The normal person just wouldn't be able to do that. Consumer Avocate's Texas grandmother Jordan Fogal testified before the House Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law about the new house she and her husband purchased in 2002 for $360,000...home needed $150,000 worth of repairs...The arbitrator came from the American Arbitration Association, a private group preselected by the builder. As a private justice system, AAA charged Fogal for every last piece of paper, meeting, and subpoena generated in arbitration, not to mention the arbitrator's time, which ran as much as $475 an hour... In 2006, the arbitrator awarded the Fogals a mere $40,000, even after finding that the builder had engaged in fraud. Adding insult to injury, she then ordered the Fogals to pay the builder $14,000 for some of its legal fees for the trouble they caused the builder.

KB Homes Announces Fire Sale
Representatives from White Residential and KB Homes refused comment on Friday when asked if corners were cut in an effort to speed up construction.  Industry experts have speculated that the structure might be condemned due to shoddy workmanship. See news reports

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