Closing arguments in the Hirata vs. Sitterle case
The Hirata case has gained attention because it is the first case to go to trial since the creation of the Texas Residential Construction Commission (TRCC), an agency that has come under fire because of its failure to resolve disputes and its lack of authority to force builders to comply with its conclusions.

HomeOwners for Better Building MEDIA UPDATE October 5, 2006
The trial of active duty US Army Colonel Jay Hirata and wife retired Lieutenant Colonel Joy Hirata, a 31-year Army Veteran should be coming to an end.  After two years of trying to get their defective Sitterele home repaired the Hiratas will take the stand to tell their story today.

South Texas development battles are heading to court more often
Wrob is part of a growing number of city officials and residents who spoke out against real estate projects by San Antonio developers — and were then sued by the developers when the deals soured... In another lawsuit filed Aug. 17 in Bexar County, developers Schaefer and Earl made similar allegations against more than two dozen residents and city officials, most of whom fought a proposal to provide tax incentives for a large development in Del Rio near Laughlin AFB...Homebuilders occasionally have sued customers who publicly complained about what they said was shoddy workmanship. And Schaefer hasn't hesitated to sue city officials whom he disagrees with — he's filed more than a dozen lawsuits against San Antonio over housing projects...“This guy is not only shooting himself in the foot,” McIlwain said, “he's also shooting himself in the knee and the left arm.”

Builder sends threat of lawsuit to critics
The residents said the letters came after they publicly criticized last month a 1.3-mile berm and a 4-foot fence around Tallgrass subdivision, a 110-acre development near Kelsey, Miller and River Roads.The letter from attorneys with Lord Bissell & Brook LLP states potential claims "for commercial disparagement, defamation, interference with prospective economic advantage, and tortuous interference with contract."..."They are intimidating the people that are standing up and speaking about this," Schnack said.

Legal Tales Stranger than Fiction: I Sue, You Sue, We all Sue
Legal Tales Stranger than Fiction: Last month, the Hiratas posted complaints about Sitterle on the website Home Owners for Better Building.  Sitterle filed a defamation suit, charging that "tens of thousands" of people could have read the comments and the company's reputation could be harmed. View Photos of Colonel Hirate and wife Joy and Courtroom photo of Frank Sitterle Jr. of Sitterle Homes and MORE... Read more... 

Sitterle Homebuilder Sues Active Duty Army Colonel
Sitterle filed a libel suit against the homeowner this week, accusing him of writing defamatory statements on a consumer advocacy Web site about the company's alleged refusal to fix leak problems in the hillside home...Last month, Jay Hirata posted complaints about the builder on the discussion board of a San Antonio-based consumer advocacy group's Web site, Home Owners for Better Building.  See posted complaint.  Read more: Express News Report... Press Release: Trial Begins  View Photos of Colonel Hirate and wife Joy and Courtroom photo of Frank Sitterle Jr. of Sitterle Homes and MORE...

Customer Sued By San Antonio Builder on Libel Allegations
Janet Ahmad, head of the Web site that posted Hirata's comments, said Sitterle is trying to suppress Hirata's free speech rights and held a news conference of her own Thursday afternoon.

SITTERLE HOMES FILES FRIVOLOUS LAWSUIT AGAINST ACTIVE DUTY SOLDIER STUCK WITH DEFECTIVE HOME
In this unprecedented move of revenge, Sitterle’s has done the unthinkable by filing a suit to oppress the free speech of a US Army Colonel who continues to serve his country, which creates a scandal that even the building industry must find outrageous. According to the Colonel in a written statement, this experience with the TRCC and the Sitterle Corporation has been more stressful than his combat tours in Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom) and Pakistan (Operation Enduring Freedom) combined.

Local builder sues customer: Dispute over basement leaking escalated into Web site complaint
Sitterle filed a libel suit against the homeowner this week, accusing him of writing defamatory statements on a consumer advocacy Web site about the company's alleged refusal to fix leak problems in the hillside home...Last month, Jay Hirata posted complaints about the builder on the discussion board of a San Antonio-based consumer advocacy group's Web site, Home Owners for Better Building.  See posted complaint