RICHLAND COUNTY, SC (WIS) - WIS News 10 received a phone call from a viewer who says he and many of his neighbors have been shortchanged by the company that built their subdivision. Some have begun an unusual protest, after the company took them to court.
It's a terribly hot day to do what Chris Catalano is doing. But he's willing to take the heat to put up signs and carry out a protest aimed at the company that built his house.
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.
James Patterson tells Jack Kuenzie about his backyard, "It was supposed to be cultivated. It was supposed to look beautiful. But it's not."
Catalano, Patterson and others say they paid an extra $10,000 for lake lots, after being told the area around the waterline would be landscaped. Months later, that property is covered with heavy brush and litter.
Catalano organized a petition drive and told the company he would try to warn others looking at homes in Deer Park.
Horton responded by taking the homeowners to court. During a hearing in Columbia, Horton's attorneys called for a restraining order, saying the protest amounted to extortion and blackmail. "It will damage D.R. Horton in terms of turning away prospective customers actively coming to the neighborhood, and potentially existing customers."
The court rejected the claim.
Catalano says, "For the last six or eight months, we've all been repeatedly been trying to contact them and resolve the matter, get in touch with the land developer. His hands were tied."
And that led to Catalano sitting in the sun in front of Deer Lake's model home Monday afternoon, one of several frustrated homeowners trying to force a builder to finish the job.
In court, Horton's attorney said the homeowners failed to go through proper channels to resolve their complaints. But the judge says if the company believes homeowners have engaged in a criminal act, such as extortion or harassment, the company can swear out a warrant with law enforcement.
It's not clear whether Horton will appeal the judge's ruling.
WIS tried to contact company attorney Kyle Dillard for further comment, but the call was not returned.
Reported by Jack Kuenzie
http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?s=6676111