Carlsbad, CA: (Aug-28-07) Owners of 8 destroyed homes in the La Costa de Marbella condominium complex brought a property damage lawsuit against the city of Carlsbad and the Carlsbad Municipal Water District. The suit was filed after the failure of a slope adjacent to the Marbella complex. In March of 2005, a landslide occurred on a hillside slope in the area of the La Costa de Marbella condominium complex in Carlsbad, CA. As a result of the slope failure, eight homes were evacuated, redlined and destroyed, and 58 others in the complex were threatened. A dispute arose between the owners of the eight destroyed homes and the La Costa de Marbella Homeowners Association against the city of Carlsbad and the Carlsbad Municipal Water District (CMWD). The plaintiffs alleged that the city and CMWD were responsible for their losses.
In a settlement reached, the city of Carlsbad and the Carlsbad Municipal Water District paid $12.5 million to resolve the suit. In the settlement, the homeowners of the eight destroyed homes received money sufficient to pay for their properties, and the Homeowners Association obtained ownership of the eight vacant lots. The value of these properties amounted to approximately $2,000,000 in additional money for the association. In addition, the settlement provides for additional repair of the hillside and the common areas. [MASS MEDIA: LANDSLIDE DAMAGE]
