In the short span of five weeks, a trio of
massive temblors along the so-called "rim-of- fire"
have resulted in widespread devastation and loss of life. We
Californians sit astride the same unstable hot seat of shifting
tectonic plates that have rocked Turkey, Greece and Taiwan.
Could it happen here?
While in California, we pride ourselves on the rigidity of our
cities' building codes and the sophistication of our
construction techniques, we are also the primary market for mass
produced housing built with an eye to the profit line.
Earthquakes in San Francisco and Northridge left people
homeless. Could California's postearthquake destruction have
been prevented? Can it be prevented before the next major
earthquake hits here?
Even our freeways are not immune to dangerous construction
shortcuts. Just last week, Cal Trans revealed the existence of
faulty welds underpinning the Orange Crush interchange, executed
by inexperienced subcontractors. Multiply that one problem by
the potential for thousands of construction defects hidden
within homes and condominiums that have mushroomed within the
past two decades, and you could have a recipe for disaster.
Thomas E Miller literally wrote the book on the subject of
Construction Defect Law. The first textbook, California
Construction Defect Litigation and Land Subsidence Litigation,
was written by Miller in 1986. Tom and his daughter Rachel
Miller are co-authors of the legal textbook, Construction
Defect Law for the Western States.
(The book addresses construction defect law in California,
Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, Utah, Oregon and Washington.)
A pioneer in the field, Tom represented the developer in the
Landmark 1981 case that was the first to apply the strict
liability standard to homebuilding in California. Over the past
19 years, he has recovered over $300 million for his association
clients. Miller also served as legal counsel for 100s of
homeowners and homeowner associations after the devastating
Northridge earthquake in 1994. Rachel and Tom are both founding
members of the California Association of Community Managers, and
were appointed to Senator William Lockyer's Blue Ribbon Task
Force on the Future of the California Home Building Industry.
© Copyright 2008 The Miller Law Firm. All rights Reserved.
If you experience problems or have questions, contact us at Info@ConstructionDefects.com.
|
