Evan Van Shaw Law Texas Jury Awards $58 Million Verdict Against Perry Homes in Construction Defect Lawsuit

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Written by Evan Van Shaw Lawyer Attorney

Texas Jury Awards $58 Million Verdict Against Perry Homes in Construction Defect Lawsuit
Jury Agrees Perry Homes Committed Fraud, Acted With Malice Against Homeowners

Texas Jury Awards $58 Million Verdict Against Perry Homes in Construction Defect Lawsuit
Jury Agrees Perry Homes Committed Fraud, Acted With Malice Against Homeowners

DALLAS – The Law Offices of Van Shaw is announcing a $58 million jury verdict on behalf of a Mansfield , Texas , homeowner following a 13-year dispute with homebuilder Perry Homes to correct construction defects to their home.

The jury agreed unanimously that Perry Homes acted knowingly and intentionally, with “malice” and in bad faith in its dealings with homeowners Bob and Jane Cull, who first complained of construction defects shortly after they moved into their new home in 1996. Additionally, jurors agreed that Warranty Underwriters Insurance Company knowingly committed unfair and deceptive trade practices. The panel found that the actions of both companies amounted to fraud.

The unanimous verdict against Perry Homes and Warranty Underwriters included a total of more than $14 million in actual damages and more than $44 million in punitive damages. The case was tried before District Judge Tom Lowe in the 236th District Court in Tarrant County . The Culls were represented by Evan Van Shaw , founder of The Law Offices of Van Shaw, and Daniel K. Hagood , co-founder of Fitzpatrick Hagood Smith & Uhl .

The Attorney Evan Van Shaw says Perry Homes has aggressively fought the Culls' claims and chose to spend far more to avoid blame in this lawsuit than to properly address the Cull's initial concerns. In 2002, the Culls were awarded $800,000 following an arbitration hearing, but Perry Homes refused to pay and appealed the award all the way to the Supreme Court of Texas, where all nine of the justices have received campaign contributions from Perry Homes president Bob Perry.

“We're grateful that the jurors in this case recognized the despicable treatment the Culls suffered at the hands of Perry Homes and Warranty Underwriters,” Mr. Evan Van Shaw Attorney says. “Unfortunately, this kind of bullying treatment is not unusual for homeowners trying to correct construction defects. I'm hopeful that this verdict will send a message that homebuilders can be held accountable for their actions.”

The Law Offices of Van Shaw is a civil litigation firm with a proven record of expending exemplary efforts in pursuit of exemplary results on behalf of the catastrophically injured or killed, residential homeowners, individual consumers, small businesses, and major corporations. Mr. Shaw has successfully represented more than 500 homeowners in major Construction Defect cases involving claims of improper design and construction of residential homes.

Mr. Hagood is co-founder of Fitzpatrick Hagood Smith & Uhl , a full-service trial litigation and criminal defense law firm. Firm attorneys are each former high-level state and/or federal prosecutors and have represented companies, corporate executives and professionals in high-profile cases.

For more information, visit the firm's Web site:  www.vanshawdallas.com