With Liberty and Justice for All
We all pledge our allegiance to the flag so we should expect liberty and justice for all.  Unfortunately, in Texas, we are being stripped of our liberty and opportunity for justice through poorly written legislation meant to “help” us. I have spent my adult life upholding the principles of liberty and justice for our country as a member of the US military.  I will be first in line to enforce the principles that have made our country great and I have proven my allegiance.  So I am sure you will appreciate my concern about the absence of liberty and skewed justice being forced on American’s through lopsided opinions of government agencies such as the Texas Residential Construction Committee (TRCC) State -sponsored Inspection and Dispute Resolution Process (SIRP) and government supported Mandatory Binding Arbitration (MBA).  

Mold contamination drives 2nd family from home
A second Daniel Island family has moved out of their D.R. Horton-built house after getting results of a mold test because the parents are concerned about their children's health. David and Terry Pittman said Wednesday that they decided to leave the house July 4 after consulting the ear, nose and throat specialist for their son, Anders, 7, who has suffered repeated ear infections. The highest level of mold contamination was found in Anders' room, the Pittmans said. ". ...The Pittmans were concerned about their house because their next door neighbors, Benjamin and Joy Allen, moved from their D.R. Horton house more than a month ago after receiving results of a mold test. The Allens said their daughter, Madeleine, 3, has suffered repeated serious respiratory problems. The family pediatrician advised that they leave the house.

Olympia Group sues home builder D.R. Horton, claims contract breach
The development group led by locally based Olympia Group has filed a multimillion dollar lawsuit against the nation's largest home builder for a breach of contract. November 2005 Land Investors filed the lawsuit Wednesday in Clark County District Court against DRHI, a subsidiary of Fort Worth, Texas-based D.R. Horton. The lawsuit claims the builder is in default of an infrastructure agreement and owes $4.1 million plus interest for unpaid costs related to the 2,675-acre Park Highlands master-planned community in North Las Vegas.

D.R. Horton Sued for Lending Practices
D.R. Horton Inc., one of the nation's largest homebuilders, is being sued by a one-time customer who says he was forced to use the company's affiliated mortgage service to buy his home, according to a regulatory filing. The lawsuit charges the homebuilder with violating the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission...Horton's revenue from homebuilding fell to $2.55 billion from $3.59 billion, and the number of closings on homes plunged 28 percent. The company's cancellation rate for homes reached 38 percent, twice the norm.

Homeowners protest Richland County subdivision building company
Catalano lives in Deer Lake, a relatively new subdivision near Percival and Clemson Roads. He and at least a dozen homeowners say the builder, D.R. Horton, promised them landscaping and access to a nearby lake, but failed to deliver. Catalano says, "With all the rock and clay and no dirt whatsoever for the grass to take, it just dies right out." The homeowners say their yards are covered with dead sod and have major drainage problems. Some have sprinklers, and nothing but weeds to sprinkle.

Home builder D.R. Horton earnings plunge 85 pct
D.R. Horton Inc. (DHI.N), the largest U.S. home builder, said on Thursday quarterly earnings fell 85 percent...The mortgage mess led Horton to increase its loan loss reserves by about $14 million during the quarter, as it saw some increases in early defaulted mortgages. During the quarter, Horton originated about 68 percent of loans to prospective buyers. Subprime loans -- those given to borrowers with weak credit histories, and a current concern in the mortgage industry -- accounted for less than 2 percent of those. Loans that required little or no documentation, which have also come under scrutiny recently, accounted for about 40 percent, down from 50 percent... Unlike other home builders, Horton said it has no plans to weed out potential buyers who may not be able to qualify for a loan in order to bring down the cancellation rate. "As I've said to all our salespeople, if a buyer is warm and has a pulse, we want to put them on paper," he said.

Lawmakers to take closer look at agency that should protect homeowners
On Monday the state Legislature will take another look at a state agency that was supposed to protect homeowners against shoddy home builders. But in the two years that the Texas Residential Construction Commission has been around, critics say it’s done nothing but help big builders. Dorina Corrente has planted herself deep into a swampy quagmire of red tape. Or blue tape that plasters her Sugar Land home. “Look at the mold, look at the damage,” she said. She said poor drainage and bad construction have sent her new home to rot. The lawn is always wet. The foundation, crumbling. The blue tape marks what she says is wrong — what she says her home builder, DR Horton, won’t fix.

Wheaton jumps into GOP race
Wheaton, after all, has been the champion of Village Grande homeowners fighting builder D.R. Horton over allegations of construction defects and inspection problems...homes constructed by Dallas-based D.R. Horton. While not all homeowners there are upset, in the wake of questions raised about East Hempfield code inspections, one employee resigned and a new inspector was retained. Wheaton said that when Village Grande residents began reporting construction problems, "I called for an independent investigation into the township building code inspection department.

Call Kurtis: Plumbing Defect Disaster
Instead of charging DR Horton for lodging, Scott and his family moved in with his in laws while they worked on the problem. But the so called quick fix dragged on for months...Scott claims the tile DR Horton wanted to put in wouldn't match what he already had throughout the house. And he says they didn't want to replace the water soaked cabinets. Scott asked if they would put in wood flooring he already bought instead of carpet and claims they said no...Very unhappy with DR Horton, Scott told them. “You’re putting a lot of stress on the family… there's the holidays coming up. Then on November 11th my wife had a stroke,” said Wall.

Star Telegram: Builder sues foundation firm
Fort Worth home builder D.R. Horton is suing a foundation company that the builder claims is responsible for “serious structural problems and structural failures” in seven homes in the Heritage subdivision of north Fort Worth...The suit asserts that D.R. Horton has had to repair the homes, all of which have foundations designed by Coffee. The suit includes an affidavit by an engineer with the opinion that the foundations needed more stiffening beams in the design.