Consumer group presents city charter amendment petition |
Tuesday, 16 November 2004 |
Frisco Enterprise Dr. David Becka is on a mission to hold homebuilders accountable, and he's willing to fight City Hall to do it. By Mike Raye, Staff Writer Monday, he and members of a Frisco-based consumer advocacy group presented a petition signed by 9,300 like-minded neighbors to Frisco City Secretary Nan Parker, hoping to get two group-penned city charter amendments on a ballot next year. TakeBackYourRights.com |
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Huntington Homes Troubled with Lawsuits |
Sunday, 14 November 2004 |
Huntington Homes and its subsidiaries Riddled with Lawsuits. See Homeowners Website: HuntingTon of Problems Huntington Homes is also known as, Sanders Custom Homes, Sanders & Associates, Horizon Homes and Highland Homes Huntington Homes and Associates Lawsuits public records |
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Editorial - Drop the hammer on code violators |
Saturday, 13 November 2004 |
An Asbury Park Press editorial Drop the hammer on code violators The agency responsible for overseeing housing code enforcement in New Jersey presented a list of proposed reforms last week in response to an 18-month investigation by the State Commission of Investigation that found deficient construction practices, inadequacies in home warranty programs and a badly flawed code enforcement system... But the suggested reforms don't absolve Community Affairs, or the Legislature, of responsibility for a system that is badly broken. And they won't help the thousands of consumers who have been victimized over the years by unscrupulous or incompetent builders and code enforcement officers. Five hearings and 40 hours of testimony on the issue confirmed what SCI Chairman Francis F. Schiller said the agency's earlier investigations had found -- "a startling lack of proper and appropriate enforcement and follow through" at both the state and local levels. |
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Public Citizen - First Amendment right to criticize |
Wednesday, 10 November 2004 |
Dissatisfied Home Improvement Customers Have Right to Criticize North Carolina Company on Web, Public Citizen Tells Court Georgia Residents Launched Web Site After Bad Experience With Siding Installation WASHINGTON, D.C. - Two dissatisfied customers of a North Carolina siding company have a First Amendment right to criticize the company - and allow others to do so - on a Web site they set up, Public Citizen has told a federal court in North Carolina. |
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Dallas Morning News - Frisco Petitions to regulate Builders |
Tuesday, 09 November 2004 |
9,300 sign Frisco home-building standards petitions Drive would allow vote on two changes to city charter The petitions call for an election to allow a vote on two changes to the city's charter. The grass-roots group Take Back Your Rights says the amendments would hold home builders accountable for faulty construction..."The response to our group's petition drive far exceeded all expectations," said Dr. David Becka, who led the effort. "These Frisco amendments will provide the first steps toward protecting new-home buyers, returning to the consumer their constitutional rights." TakeBackYourRights.com |
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Frisco Family invokes the Legislative Process |
Saturday, 06 November 2004 |
The Frisco Story: Why the Becka family decided to help future homebuyers After several years and many futile attempts to persuade their builder, Huntington Homes to address construction problems the Beckaâs learned that builders are not licensed in Texas and that state laws do not protect homebuyers,. Finally, upon discovering that their home had been destroyed by toxic mold due to construction defects and non-compliance with city building codes, the Beckaâs decided to exercise the legislative process to change the way homebuilders do business in their town. **********
Frisco Grassroots Group Exceeds Signatures Needed For Ballot Vote Volunteers gathered signatures to require Homebuilder Accountability âThe Legislative Process is a remarkable privilege. This is the first time in the history of Frisco that citizens have attempted to gather the required signatures to revise the Frisco City Charter and I am delighted to have been a part of the process. This is the first step toward protecting new homebuyers and holding homebuilders accountable for their mistakes,â said Dr. Becka. |
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Businesses File More Lawsuits Than Private Citizens |
Thursday, 04 November 2004 |
Public Citizen: U.S.Businesses File Four Times More Lawsuits Than Private Citizens And Are Sanctioned Much More Often for Frivolous Suits
But Corporate America and Political Allies Bush and Cheney Campaign to Limit Citizensâ Rights to Sue...American businesses file four times as many lawsuits as do individuals represented by trial attorneys, and they are penalized by judges much more often for pursuing frivolous litigation, according to a report issued today by Public Citizen. |
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Friday, 29 October 2004 |
Attention: Frisco Group calls for Homebuyer Protection through Charter Revision See Video: Take Back Your Rights For Dr. David and Carol Becka of Frisco, however, that dream turned into what they described as a nightmare as the new custom home they built in Starwood became a "money pit" of problems. FRISCO ENTERPRISE |
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Friday, 29 October 2004 |
Experts: New Firehouse Contains Health Hazards By: ABC Action News
TAMPA - Tampa's new $1.4-million firehouse is not only riddled with construction and engineering problems, it is also making some firefighters sick. More Information |
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Thursday, 28 October 2004 |
Indoor Dampness a Public Heath Threat By: Todd Zwillich, WebMD Medical News
May 25, 2004 -- Damp indoor spaces and the molds that breed are likely linked to lung problems including asthma and coughing, a new report issued by the Institute of Medicine shows. More Information |
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Thursday, 28 October 2004 |
'Hidden Decay' Clause Pivotal in Lawsuit By: Robert J. Bruss, Inman News Features
Mary Ann's 70-year-old home was insured with Allstate Insurance Co.'s "all-risk" homeowner's policy. After a window fell out of her home, Mary Ann hired a licensed pest-control inspector to determine the cause of the unexpected accident. More Information |
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$8.6 Million personal injuries claim award |
Tuesday, 26 October 2004 |
IEQ Review Jury Awards $8.6 Million to Calif. Condo Owners For Defects, Personal Injuries A California jury on Sept. 8 awarded $8,571,028 in damages for construction defects and personal injuries claimed by residents of a four-story condominium complex in Santa Ana, Calif.
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Something new, someone blue |
Saturday, 23 October 2004 |
Nashville City Paper
Something new, someone blue
By Richard Courtney
â¦attorney Jean Harrison â A typical case involves a homeowner who has had the house three years or so and has a number of problems with it, but the alleged 'one year warranty' has expired. In actual practice, the one-year warranty has very little to do with a builder's obligation to make repairs.
ââ¦favorite Jean Harrison quote is, "If your house passed codes, it means it got a D -." |
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Home Warranty Coverage 'Extremely Limited' |
Friday, 22 October 2004 |
10-22-04 - Realty Times - HADD Report: Home Warranty Coverage 'Extremely Limited' by Broderick Perkins It's not that home warranties or those who issue them are deceptive. It's all right there in the small print -- disclaimers, exclusions, "weasel" clauses. "New Home Warranties: Deception or Protection?A Consumerâs Perspective"... Read more
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