"You've heard people talk about the panic and paranoia on the
part of the people with mold," Schneider said. "Well, the panic and
paranoia is really on the part of the insurance industry."
Insurers, builders criticized over mold -- Austin American Statesman
Interesting Tidbits:
David Weekley's brother Richard Weekley is President of the
tort reformer group "Texans for Lawsuit Reform". We
sometimes refer to them as "Corporations Against Lawsuits".
Another weekley owner in Dallas.
Maybe her builder should have read
"Messages from God 365 Simple Truths for Success".
Written by the wife of a builder who is now in jail for forgery.
News and Updates:
Apr 2 2003
Weekley At The Supreme Court
Jul 14 2002
No Suits Allowed Increasingly, Arbitration Is the Only
Recourse By Caroline E. Mayer Washington Post
Staff Writer.
)
As an arbitrator, you're going to get work as long as parties choose
to use you, and if this is your career or it makes up a good part of
your practice, then if you render a decision that is unpopular" with
parties that frequently use arbitration, they "may not choose to use
you again."…The
homeowner is convinced
she won't get a fair hearing.
Jul 8 2002
"Leaky Weekleys" Moldy 'Lemon' Homes Denied Day In Court
Weekley Boys Privatize the 'Justice' System.
- Since sports stadium builder Aric Barto closed on a new
$268,000 David Weekley home in December 2000 he has been plagued
by troubles of almost biblical proportions.
- After the DeShazo family paid more than $300,000 for a new
Weekley Home in 2001, the builder came out three times to reseal
the joint where the shower in their master bath meets the floor.
Jul 8 2002 TOXIC MOLD PAGE. [NO
LONGER ACTIVE. ]
My house is infested with toxic mold 58 times the outside levels of
Penicillum. David Weekly is doing a good job of fixing the
problem, though. The cause was a faulty transition fitting from the
PVC to copper pipe going to the water heater (in the attic) along
with a sheetrocker's nail that had pierced the PVC pipe during the
construction of the house (pressure tests are being done on new
construction -- required in the City of Houston, but not the
county).
Jul 8 2002 [NO LONGER ACTIVE. ]
To provide an instructive example, here we document our own
family's toxic David Weekley home nightmare. We hope that by making
available the knowledge we gained through our horrible David Weekley
Homes experience, it will help you make the decisions necessary to
keep your family safe.
Jun 30 2002
Rich dig deeper to gain influence Analysis of Texas campaign
donations shows top contributors are who's who of corporate Texas.
By Laylan Copelin AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF "Most are giving the bulk
of their money to Republicans and to Texans for Lawsuit Reform,
a largely business-backed group whose members believe it is too easy
to sue and win big judgments in Texas courts. "
NOTE: Texans for Lawsuit Reform is head by Richard Weekley,
brother of David Weekley the builder. TLR is one of the reasons we
are so lacking in consumer protection. They support binding
arbitration.
Jun 17 2002 texans for lawsuit reform at
the State Democratic Convention. tlr's president is Richard
Weekley, brother of homebuilder David Weekley. We had very
interesting conversations with the members of tlr. They were not
aware of the high cost of arbitration. Or of the specifics of David
Weekley, the builder.
May 19 2002
Nonprofit group pans arbitration Says system stacked against
consumers Associated Press
Touted
as a cheaper and faster alternative to lawsuits, binding arbitration
is expensive for consumers and denies them access to courts,
according to a report released last week by the non-profit group
Public Citizen.
May 17 2002
Consumer advocates hammer arbitration Homeowners from
across Texas Rally at the TX
State Capitol prior to the Hearings on Arbitration.
Hearing Audio Available
May 17 2002
Public should keep right to day in court Editorial Board AUSTIN
AMERICAN-STATESMAN Within the United States, however, some in
the business community are doing whatever they can to shake
themselves free of the judicial system in favor of "binding
arbitration" clauses in contracts that automatically send disputes
to an arbitrator rather than a courtroom.
May 16 2002
Who
really backs lawsuit abuse campaigns? Citizens Against
Lawsuit Abuse (CALA). Shouldnít the name be Corporations Against
Lawsuits? (Enough said)
May 16 2002
Home buyers object to clause in sales contracts Texas House panel
hears complaints about binding arbitration requirement By
David Pasztor AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF Home builders are drawing
most of the ire in Texas, said Jackson Williams of Public Citizen,
because almost all of them are now inserting binding arbitration
clauses into their contracts at the suggestion of the Texas
Association of Builders.
May 16 2002
Consumer advocates hammer arbitration By Adolfo Pesquera
Express-News Business Writer James Evans, a Houston attorney,
cited a case where a client's house slid down a hill because of an
improper foundation. After his client got nothing, Evans sued the
association and arbitrator Stephen Paxson, claiming Paxson, a
lawyer for the Greater Houston Builders Association, had lobbied to
change the law his client was relying on.
Note: Unknown to most in the audience, Stephen Paxson
was the last speaker at the hearing. He helped write an
Amicus to the
Supreme Court in favor of removing the implied warranty of
habitability and good workmanship, as well as an amicus in the
Perry Homes v. Atiwiler case
(02-98-00106-CV, 33 SW3d 376, 11-02-00)which the Supreme Court
refused to hear.
May 15 2002
Texas' mushrooming toxic mold epidemic offers a crash course in the
perils of binding arbitration. First, consumers learn that
their new dream home is a moldy lemon. Then they discover that
arbitration contracts strip their right to a jury trial and force
their claims before costly, secretive tribunals that favor builders.
The new Lobby Watch profiles a few consumers who bought moldy new
houses from arbitration enthusiast David Weekley Homes.
May 14 2002 Private
arbitration criticized Report says court often cheaper;
supporters say study is misleading By MARK CURRIDEN / The
Dallas Morning News Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge
Patrick Higginbotham warned at a conference in Dallas two weeks ago
that the movement away from the public court system toward private
justice is a "dangerous situation with major public policy
implications."
May 14 2002
Arbitration could prove costly for homeowners By JANET
ELLIOTT Copyright 2002 Houston Chronicle Austin Bureau According to
the report, the filing fee for an $80,000 consumer claim in Cook
County, Ill., Circuit Court is $221. The American Arbitration
Association, one of several private companies providing arbitration
services, charges a filing fee of $1,250.
May 9 2002 THE CONSUMER PITFALLS OF
BINDING ARBITRATION A Report by the
Texas Watch Foundation The report raises questions
about the quality of justice delivered through binding arbitration
between parties of different bargaining levels and documents the
uneven playing field binding arbitration offers consumers and
citizens seeking justice.
Apr 10 2002 David Weekley home
nightmare. [NO LONGER ACTIVE. ]
This web site serves as a resource for homeowners on the damaging
aspects of toxic mold, toxic building materials, and anti-consumer
residential construction policies and practices.
Nov 27, 2001
Tort Tycoons
Poured Millions into 2000 Texas Elections Report Tracks Texans for
Lawsuit Reform's Top Donors [Includes
David Weekley and
Perry Homes] NOTE: TLR is a so
called "grassroots organization".
- Altogether, these 24 king makers spent $4.5 million to
influence Texas politics in the 2000 cycle, with Houston
homebuilder Bob Perry spending an astounding $912,500.
- Plaintiff Carlos Murillo complained that the builder refused
to finish his house until he put up a yard sign that said,
"Come Talk To Me Before You Buy a David Weekley Home."
- Dick Weekley of Weekley Homes donated $126,000 to TLR and
$208,925 total for 2000 elections.
Bob J. Perry of Perry Homes donated $90,000 to TLR and
$912,500 total for 2000 elections.
Oct 30, 2001
Texas PACs
2000 Election Cycle Tort Law: $1,481,128 TLR (Texans
for Lawsuit Reform, a so called grass roots organiztaion) raised
half of its money from the families of just five tycoons who made
fortunes in litigious industries: Sterling Groupís Gordon Cain
($200,000); real estate mogul Harlan Crow ($150,000); Cogen
Technologiesí Robert McNair ($125,000); and the owners of David
Weekley Homes ($126,000) and Bob Perry Homes ($90,000).
Oct 24, 2001: Texans for Lawsuit Reform is headed by Richard
Weekley, brother of David Weekley. TLR is partially responsible for
destroying our rights for consumer protection in Texas. Here is a
few interesting articles about David Weekley's brother:
Anti-Consumer
Legislation Fizzles As expected, the special interest
groups were back in Austin this legislative session. Texans for
Lawsuit Reform, the Texas Civil Justice League and the other
so-called tort "reform" groups were well armed and heavily
financed. One consumer advocate summed up the special interest
groupsí legislative proposals as "immunity for all, accountability
for none." In an effort to influence the 1997 legislative
session, one group spent over $1 million in contributions to state
legislative campaigns.
Law firms in tobacco lawsuit contribute heavily to Democrats
Cornyn received a total of $191,000 from Texans for Lawsuit
Reform's political arm; from Houston developer Richard Weekley,
who heads the organization; and from members of Weekley's family
during the general election campaign.
A $100,000 contribution from TLR's political action committee
went to Cornyn on Oct. 26, eight days before the election.
Members of lawsuit reform group top Perry donors
DALLAS (AP) ó Members of a Houston-based lawsuit reform group are
among the top donors to Republican Gov. Rick Perry's election
campaign, prompting criticism about the group's political
influence.
As soon as the legislative session ended, clearing the way for
campaign contributions, big checks began pouring into Perry's
campaign,
Business-backed group wants more civil court changes By
CHIP BROWN Associated Press With the support of Gov. George W.
Bush in 1995, a business-backed group known as Texans for Lawsuit
Reform helped draft laws that make it more difficult for Texans to
collect damages in civil cases.
Fraser, Perry tout Lawsuit Reform backing By RICHARD HORN
Senior Staff Writer Texans for Lawsuit Reform, known for heavily
funding candidates who back its agenda, has endorsed Troy Fraser
for the Texas Senate.
Dr.
Issues Killer Post-Mortem On Perryís Prompt-Pay Veto.
(Richard Weekley of Texas for Lawsuit Reform, is the
brother of David Weekley, the homebuilder. We call them, among
other things,"Corporations for No Lawsuits")
* With Doctors Bloodied, Toomey & Weekley Should Consider
Christian Science.
* Did Cornyn Agree To Broker A Compromise With A Politicized
A.G. Opinion?
Aug 2, 2001 [ABOT] Insurance carriers hit with fines
Must pay medical bills By CLAY ROBISON Houston Chronicle
Austin Bureau . Perry vetoed the measure at the urging of civil
justice reformers and other business groups because it would have
removed arbitration as an option for settling health insurance
claims. [Mandatory and binding arbitration is NOT an option. It
is the ONLY option.]
Texans for Lawsuit Reform, which urged the veto, praised the
fines. "Governor Perry promised Texas doctors he would help them
with slow paying insurance companies, and he has," said the
group's president, Dick Weekley.
NOTE: Dick Weekley is the brother of David Weekley. See also
July 20, 2001
Perry's veto still a bitter pill for doctors By Gary
Susswein American-Statesman Staff. Binding Arbitration
clauses rip hearts out of doctors. "Perry said he vetoed the
bill because it would have prevented insurers from settling
disputes through alternate methods or binding arbitration, would
have encouraged frivolous lawsuits and would have driven up the
cost of health insurance."
July 19, 2001
Doctors feel the wrath of Texans for Lawsuit Reform on binding
arbitration clauses.Viewpoints Houston Chronicle. One of
the most notorious take-it-or-leave-it clauses is a requirement
that doctors waive their legal rights under state law (and, by
extension, patients' rights) by agreeing that all disputes be sent
to mandatory, binding arbitration, which is expensive, cumbersome
and lengthy.
NOTE: TLR is headed by Richard Weekley, brother of
David Weekley, Texas
Homebuilder.The TLR is a so called "grassroots" organizations with
the consumer in mind. See:
Redefining reform Big business proponents contrive some
of the worst bills of the 74th session By Molly Ivins
"Say a builder has been using some cheesy
materials that fall apart after 10 years. No responsibility falls
to the builder--you have to sue the manufacturer"
Feb 7, 2001 From The Dallas Observer concerning "tort
reform" and David Weekley Homes:
Redefining reform Big business proponents contrive some
of the worst bills of the 74th session By Molly Ivins
"Say a builder has been using some cheesy
materials that fall apart after 10 years. No responsibility falls
to the builder--you have to sue the manufacturer"
Feb 5, 2001
Slab o' Trouble Some David Weekley homebuyers discovered
their dreams were built on shifting sands. What's worse, they say,
is that Weekley knew. By Bob Burtman
The Houston Press.
"When Weekley failed to take care of the unfinished items after
more than a month of requests to do so, however, Carlos posted a
sign in the front yard that said, "Come Talk
to Me Before You Buy a David Weekley Home." That day, says
Claudia, a crew arrived and tackled the checklist."
Feb 5, 2001
Weekley for the Defense By Bob Burtman
The Houston Press." If
the Murillos, Townsends and Ganjis tried to bring their suits
against David Weekley Homes today, they might have a tougher time
in court, thanks to revisions in the law approved during the 1995
legislative session. Those changes were
largely due to the efforts of Texans for Lawsuit Reform and its
founder, shopping center developer Dick Weekley, David's brother."
July 7, 2001
On Guard Against Mold by Jaime Levy Austin American
Statesman. Joel Katz, president of Katz Builders Inc. and chairman
of a state task force to study indoor air quality and moisture
control, acknowledged that building defects can occur, but he
stressed the role of the homeowner in preventing and eliminating
mold.
