HOMEOWNERS FOR BETTER BUILDING
  --MEDIA ADVISORY--

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.

A $7 Million jury decision was reach Thursday in the Travis County, Courtroom of Judge Paul Davis against Benny Daneshjou of Daneshjou Construction, the contractor for the $6.5 million defectively built home of Sandra Bullock. 

Attorney’s for Bullock issued a written statement after the verdict was reached that said, "I felt firmly committed to see this process through to a just conclusion, no matter what the outcome, especially for all those homeowners who could never afford to come this far," Bullock said.

 “Those who attended the trial forgot that this story was about Sandra Bullock, the star.  It was about something much bigger than celebrity, it was about basic consumer law and the constitutional right of a trial by jury,” continued Ahmad.  

Jurors heard weeks of testimony about non-compliance with Austin minimum building codes, construction defects that caused an incredible amount of water intrusion due to the lack of flashing, defectively installed rock work, stucco and roofing materials, which caused damage to framing, rotting OSB board, and the presence of toxic stachybotrus mold.

 “Because of Tort Reform and Binding Arbitration clauses in new homebuilder contracts for the past decade, literally tens of thousands of homeowners with defective homes have been denied their day in court.  We are encouraged the Sandra Bullock’s trail will help send a message to legislators in the upcoming 2005 legislative session for the need to regulate the homebuilding industry and the passage of a Home Lemon Law to give warranty protection to homebuyers of Texas," concluded Ahmad.   
                             Builder Benny Daneshjou of Daneshjou Construction                                
                                                 
                          Daneshjou (blue shirt) discusses case with his his legal team
Janet Ahmad, President
HomeOwners for Better Building
San Antonio, Texas
http://www.hobb.org
210-402-6800