The California Board of Equalization tower located in Sacramento is under legal fire with litigation threats on the horizon. The tower reportedly houses 2,200 employees and has suffered multiple issues since it was built more than twenty years ago. Those problems include floods, toxic mold, falling panels, hazardous chemicals and even bats.
Of those 2,200 employees, many of them have allegedly developed health problems due to exposure to toxic mold. A Sacramento attorney filed claims against the BOE in 2007, and the state reached a settlement containing undisclosed terms with 31 employees.
Now, a $50 million tort claim has been recently filed by another Sacramento attorney on behalf of employees. The claim alleges that the BOE put the health of the workers at risk by marginalizing the problems with the building.
In addition, the state has already spent $60 million of taxpayers’ money on tower repairs to date, despite the building itself still remaining fraught with defects. Additional repairs could reportedly run as high as $115 million, according to BOE estimates. This could take upwards of five years to complete, two of which are needed just for doing the requisite paperwork.
This particular situation is an example of how construction defects can affect any building owner, whether it is a corporation or a government agency. A construction law attorney could help the owner to understand their legal rights and how to proceed should they decide to file a lawsuit against the responsibility parties. Should they prevail in the lawsuit, any compensation could help to fund the necessary repairs plus any legal damages incurred by the owner due to the defects.
Source: Insurance News, “Threat of litigation looms over faulty Board of Equalization tower”, Jon Ortiz, July 21, 2014