Reader comments
Lindon family's sinking-home nightmare brings $3.1 million award

Too bad they didn't include the city in the law suit. Cities are resonsible for zoning and how land is developed, they have all the USGS land reports designating unsafe building sites. Cities are liable for allowing the building and developing of the land within their jurisdiction. Home owners and buyers should not need to or have to obatain a geological report, the city already has this knowledge. City officials and engineers know full well how risky developing the areas in their jurisdiction is, they wrote the zoning laws but continue to violate them. And cities allow the continued practice of putting homeowners and buyers at risk on land that should not be developed or have restricted developement. Cities are gambling that homeowners will not be able to afford a court battle beacuse of its violations and corruption. Its unconcionalbe that cities coninously violate the trust of its citizens and allow such developement.

Wait until the first major earthquake hits the Point of the Mountain area and the mountains of gravel flow like water brom beneath all the homes on the benches from Higland through Draper and into Sandy. Who's going to pick up the tab for that......not to mention the potential loss of lives. Geologists till are stating that it's a definite when not if occurance.

I hope this is a lesson to developers, builder, cities, and buyers.

Homes weren't meant to be built on a hillside or in a river bottom.

The pioneers understood that.

Why can't we?

It's very nice to see that they rcouped some money from the developer, but I think the reward was exhorbitant. They should have to pay for all repairs to get the house in perfect order, but a couple mil for pain and suffering when there was no loss of life or limb seems pretty ridiculous. Oh wait, I guess that will all go to the lawyer anyway.

what a waste of money. We all have distress. Ambulance chasing lawyers are another reason this economy has gone south.

These people should learn that they don't need a 6500 square foot mansion if they don't have enough in the bank to take care of emergencies. They are another reason for the credit crisis.

Losers all around us.

That is too much of an award. I wonder how much they got from the parties that settled out of court. While I agree that they deserve more than what should have been the value of the house and the repairs put in, over 2 million is ridiculous.

Let this be a warning to all incompetent and dishonest architects, contractors and developers, and there are many, that they can be held responsible for their acts. Good for the Hesses and the legal system.

Lots of big expensive homes up there, wonder if the other high foothill homes are sinking also? A little hint next time, buy a home in the foothills at the mouth of a canyon, get your own geological report.

If these real estate developers find Utah won't put up with their wanton ways, they can always go to New York make a lucrative living on wall street.

Lawyers will be appealing this one P.D.Q. While I feel sorry for the family and all the stress this caused - 3.1 million is far too large of an award.

"Anonymous" and "Emotional Distress"....
I wish I were there to see the day that either of you runs afoul of profit criminals or negligent stupidity. I wonder who you are going to call or negotiate with or will you just give up your rights to be made whole again. Thats why they are called victims.

2 million is ridiculous. These people make me sick. Lawsuits have gotten ridiculous.

I agree with every comment here: City should be included in the suit, we allow development in areas that shouldn't be developed, this home is far bigger than any family needs, the award was too big, and there is greed showing up in every corner--attorney, client/buyer, developer, city. This is truly sad

I hope neither of you holier-than-thou idiots are never on a jury for anything. Neither of you know the facts surrounding this case. Hopefully neither of you will have to face similar circumstances or have the need to be recompensed for others' neglect.

And by-the-way Ms. emotional distress? this was not an emergency. All I can say to you is if you think there are losers all around you do know it takes one to know one.

Not sure why a jury has to be the one to decide a $ amount. Is it legal for an arbitrator who can be fair and balanced be the one to set a more realistic $ amount. Way too much money awarded here. The problem is that the family will probably not see the money. Between apeals and bankruptcy laws, the money will probably not end up in this families hands.

I think there are ways to be more responsible and accountable in cases such as these.

The award amount was too high. Especially the distress portion. Way too much money.

"$2.65 million was for mental distress, pain and suffering. That's significant."

That's insane.

no wonder America's going down the tubes.

All of you blaming the people who live on the benches: your homes on the flats will sink, when there's a major earthquake. Remember the Mexico City earthquake a few years ago? Buildings tilted and sank because they were on a dry lakebed. Same as the Salt Lake Valley.

I applaud the jury. The builder and engineers were derelict in their duties.

To: "Anonymous" and "Emotional Distress". You think like you do, UNTIL it happens to you.

I know the Hesses and they did try mediation.. nothing was offered!
It is easy to make judgement when you don't know all the facts! Why are you sticking up for those who take advantage of homeowners? You must not own your own home! And it's not just the home, what about future yard or fencing? Wouldn't everything sink????

Ref:Sinking Lakebed
Get you facts straight. Mexico is built on an older city that was built on a swamp........not a dry lakebed. The geology is totally different. Those benches are not talice slopes broken off from solid rock they are enormous gravel beds deposited on the edge of a deep ancient inland sea.