Homeowners File Suit Against Builder

A group of Palmdale homeowners filed suit against Kaufman & Broad Home Corp. in Los Angeles County Superior Court this week, alleging that the Los Angeles-based home builder used cheap materials and allowed shoddy workmanship on their homes. About 40 homeowners in the 390-home California Marquis tract are plaintiffs in the lawsuit, said their attorney, Clayton Anderson. In the suit, the homeowners claim windows in their homes leak when it rains, and they cite slab cracks and roof leaks among the examples of shoddy construction, Anderson said. Kaufman & Broad spokeswoman Amy Friend said that she was unable to comment because the company had not yet been served with the suit. Homes in the 8-year-old Marquis development typically sell in the $200,000 range. The plaintiffs, most of whom have lived in their homes for seven or eight years, are seeking compensation for legal expenses, the cost of investigating structural damage and the cost of repairs. In 1990, Kaufman & Broad settled for $5.5 million a similar lawsuit by 34 homeowners in Riverside County.