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  • Randy Sanchez, Et Al vs. GreenEco Builders, L.L.C.Contract - Debt - Commercial/Consumer document preview
  • Randy Sanchez, Et Al vs. GreenEco Builders, L.L.C.Contract - Debt - Commercial/Consumer document preview
  • Randy Sanchez, Et Al vs. GreenEco Builders, L.L.C.Contract - Debt - Commercial/Consumer document preview
  • Randy Sanchez, Et Al vs. GreenEco Builders, L.L.C.Contract - Debt - Commercial/Consumer document preview
  • Randy Sanchez, Et Al vs. GreenEco Builders, L.L.C.Contract - Debt - Commercial/Consumer document preview
  • Randy Sanchez, Et Al vs. GreenEco Builders, L.L.C.Contract - Debt - Commercial/Consumer document preview
  • Randy Sanchez, Et Al vs. GreenEco Builders, L.L.C.Contract - Debt - Commercial/Consumer document preview
  • Randy Sanchez, Et Al vs. GreenEco Builders, L.L.C.Contract - Debt - Commercial/Consumer document preview
						
                                

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Filed: 7/21/2020 4:37 PM JOHN D. KINARD - District Clerk Galveston County, Texas Envelope No. 44712834 By: Shailja Dixit 7/21/2020 4:42 PM CAUSE NO. 19-CV-0342 RANDY SANCHEZ and § IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF CHRISTINE SANCHEZ § Plaintiffs, § § GALVESTON COUNTY, TEXAS vs. § § GREENECO BUILDERS, L.L.C. § 10TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT Defendant PLAINTIFFS’ RESPONSE TO THE DEFENDANT’S MOTION TO ABATE CASE PENDING RE-PURCHASE OR, IN THE ALTERNATIVE, TO EXTEND ALL DEADLINES AND CONTINUE TRIAL SETTING COME NOW, Randy Sanchez and Christine Sanchez (“Plaintiffs”), and file this their Response to the Defendant’s Motion to Abate Case Pending Re-Purchase or, in the Alternative, to Extend All Deadlines and Continue Trial Setting, and would respectfully show the Court the following: Preliminary Statement 1. In a remarkable pleading, Defendant requests the Court to abate this lawsuit because it has elected to buy Plaintiffs’ home. The statutory provision relied on by Defendant, however, does not support an abatement and certainly Defendant has not demonstrated its right to purchase Plaintiffs’ home under that statute. Defendant’s motion to abate and its motion for continuance join a long list of delay tactics employed by Defendant in this matter. There is no legal support for abating this lawsuit and this Court has given Defendant ample opportunity to prepare for trial. Defendant’s motion should be denied. 2. This Court should deny Defendant’s motion – just as the Honorable Lonnie Cox with the 56th Judicial District Court denied an identical motion filed by Greeneco two weeks prior to this filing.1 Purchase Election 3. While Defendant notifies this Court of its election to purchase Plaintiffs’ home under §27.0042 of the Texas Property Code, it failed to inform this Court of additional matters for which Defendant must compensate Plaintiffs in the event of such an election. §27.0042(c)(2) also requires Defendant to pay attorney’s fees, expert fees, reimbursements for permanent improvements to the home and the costs to move from the home. 4. Plaintiffs have already notified Defendant that its election to purchase the home does not comply with the statute because Defendant offers practically nothing in compensation to Plaintiffs aside from purchasing the home – another fact Defendant failed to disclose to the Court.2 Accordingly, even if Defendant has the absolute right to purchase Plaintiffs’ home, the remaining damage items must still be litigated unless Defendant pays reasonable value for them. 5. This is Defendant’s second request to abate this lawsuit. The case has already been delayed substantially by Defendant’s request to perform inspections and to determine the cause of the defects in the home. Defendant has already inspected the home and 1 See July 9, 2020 Order, attached hereto as Exhibit A. 2 See June 22, 2020 correspondence from Dax Faubus to M. Cohn, attached hereto as Exhibit B. 2 designated experts. Defendant has provided no valid reason to abate this matter and the request should be denied. Continuance Request 6. Defendant has also failed to provide any valid reason to continuing the trial date of this matter except for the COVID virus crisis. Obviously, if shut down orders are still in place, a jury trial cannot be conducted in October. But if that is not the case, Defendant has provided this Court no reason why a trial should not go forward. As such Defendant’s motion to continue the case should also be denied. 7. Plaintiffs respectfully request that this Court deny Defendant’s third request to abate this lawsuit and deny its request for a trial continuance. Respectfully submitted, THE FAUBUS FIRM By: /s/ Dax O. Faubus Dax O. Faubus State Bar No. 24010019 1001 Texas Avenue, 11th Floor Houston, Texas 77002 Telephone: (713) 222-6400 Facsimile: (713) 222-7240 dax-notice@faubusfirm.com Attorneys for Plaintiffs 3 CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE I hereby certify that on this 21st day of July, 2020, a true and correct copy of the foregoing pleading was served upon the following counsel of record pursuant to Rule 21 of the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure: Via E-Mail: H. Miles Cohn Joe R. Savoie Crain, Caton & James 1401 McKinney Street, 17th Floor Houston, Texas 77010 mcohn@craincaton.com savoie-efile@craincaton.com Counsel for Defendant /s/ Dax O. Faubus Dax O. Faubus 4 EXHIBIT A ! " # $ ()* & % - ) & +, .%/01 ’ &’4? &2 3 7 4/ 3 ( &’ &5 6 8 &9: ; -& < =( 7 >793 339 & & . 8 /822@ A B3 CC C A 3 D2D ! / ;E " A A A /08@ ! /D F D 217 F1 @8!D7 /81 D2D ! /%@ 1/81 / G /D @D D !8 H DIJ7F0 @D 73 8 /0D ./D7 /86D3 / K/D ! .. /D@ ! 1 /8 JD 78 . D//8 H 0D 1J7/3 0 68 H F1 @8!D7D! /0D 1/81 3 L 7D@I1 @D /0D7D/1 ! /0D 7HJ D / 2F1J @D.3 8@ 2/0D 1I8 81 /0 / @JF0 1/81 @01J.! GDH7 M ( 3 A B3 /0 / . C8/0 /0D DKFDI/81 1/D! D.143 /08@ . 4@J8/3 8 F.J H .. I&D /78 . !D ! D@3 8@ G /D! J 8.2J7/0D7 17!D7 2 /08 1J7/: 0D /78 . 2/ @ . 4@J8/3 FJ77D /.L @D/ 217 F/1GD7 E3 3 8@!1 /8 JD!: ! 1/48/0@/ !8 H /0D 2 7DH18 9 /0D I 7/8D@ LM D I.D !8 H@ 7! 1/81 @3 ! L / ND !8 16D7L3 48/0 7@IDF/ / /0D D2D ! %@ D.DF/81 / D IJ7F0 @D /0D . 8 /822@% IJ7@J / DK @ %71ID7/L 1!D O > P 3 8 F : D . 8 /822@% F. 8 @ J 1!D O > QFR P 8H D! /08@ S ! L 2 3 M4&: & A A ? 7!D7D L8 H 1/81217 1 /8 JFD ; EEP EXHIBIT B June 22, 2020 Via E-Mail: mcohn@craincaton.com H. Miles Cohn CRAIN, CATON & JAMES, P.C. 17th Floor, Five Houston Center 1401 McKinney Street Houston, Texas 77010-4035 Re: Cause No. 19-CV-0342; Randy Sanchez and Christine Sanchez v. Greeneco th Builders, L.L.C.; In the 10 Judicial District Court of Galveston County, Texas; Dear Mr. Cohn: I write in response to your client’s election to purchase my clients’ home pursuant to the contract and §27.0042 of the Residential Construction Liability Act. Your client’s demand is unreasonable and obtuse, to say the least. It demands that my clients turnover their home for less than market value, vacate their home within 90 days, with insufficient compensation for the cost to move from the home; all the while providing practically no compensation for the expenses and fees incurred in prosecuting this matter against your client. If the Sanchezs were to comply with this demand, they would not be compensated enough to even pay off their mortgage, much less make a down payment on a new home. Such a demand is inherently unreasonable. Your letter seems to suggest that absent information from my office, your client cannot make a reasonable offer to compensate my clients to move out of the home or to pay their expert and attorney’s fees. Is your client unable to perform any research to determine the cost to move from such a house? Has your client not read the invoices from our engineers and consultants in this case? Is your client unable to determine what a reasonable attorney fee would be in light of all the work it has required by my office with its spurious filings? How much has your client paid your firm, Mr. Cohn, only $10,000.00? §27.0042 obligates your client, not mine, to determine the reasonable terms under which it may invoke the extraordinary right to demand my clients to sell their home. Your client has not met that obligation. Dax O. Faubus, Partner The Faubus Firm • 1001 Texas Ave., 11th Floor• Houston, Texas 77002 Dax-notice@faubusfirm.com Telephone: 713.222.6400 • Facsimile: 713.222.7240• www.faubusfirm.com H. Miles Cohn June 22, 2020 Page -2- As such, my clients are fully within their rights to reject Greeneco’s demand and continue litigating this matter. I have been authorized, however, to counter your client’s demand with the following terms. Your client is statutorily and contractually entitled to purchase the home for what the Sanchezs paid for it over 2 ½ years ago. Accordingly, the purchase price and closing costs set out in your May 29, 2020 letter appear correct. If your client wishes to settle this matter on the basis of forcing my clients to sell their home, then it must come to terms with the fact that reasonable compensation must be paid on the remaining elements of §27.0042. We have provided you information establishing the improvements to the home, which your client will pay for. (See bates labeled documents SANCHEZ 000561-000564). Your client will pay a reasonable cost to move from the residence. This will include the cost to store contents for up to six months while my clients find a new home. Moreover, because my clients’ home has substantially elevated mold levels, the contents may not simply be moved into a new residence. They must first be cleaned and to the extent they cannot be cleaned, they must be replaced. Such costs are contemplated by your client’s obligation to pay “reasonable cost” to move from the residence.” Finally, your client will pay for the consulting, engineer and attorney’s fees required to prosecute this matter. Your letter states that such fees are not recoverable pursuant to Mitchell v. D.R. Horton-Emerald, Ltd., 579 S.W.3d 135 (Tex.App. – Houston [1st Dist.] 2019, rev. denied - rehearing requested). Your understanding of the law is wrong. First, my clients have plead claims separate from the RCLA that entitle them to attorney’s fees. Second, Mitchell did not concern §27.0042. Instead, the court assessed whether such fees are allowed under §27.004(g). §27.0042 allows for attorney’s fees separate from the circumstances involved in Mitchell. The Texas Legislature did not intend to give homebuilders the right to take a homeowner’s home without first compensating them for the substantial fees and expenses required by litigation. I certainly will not allow your client to do that here. We have previously provided you the invoices establishing my clients’ engineering and consulting fees. (See Plaintiffs’ First Amended Response to Request for Disclosure). I have enclosed a breakdown of the services rendered by my firm in prosecuting this matter and the reasonable and necessary fees associated with such services. In summary, your client must pay the items set out below in order to pursue its election to buy my clients’ home: Purchase Price: $227,560.00 Closing Costs: $7,484.74 Home Improvements: $300.00 Dax O. Faubus, Partner The Faubus Firm • 1001 Texas Ave., 11th Floor• Houston, Texas 77002 Dax@faubusfirm.com Telephone: 713.222.6400 • Facsimile: 713.222.7240• www.faubusfirm.com H. Miles Cohn June 22, 2020 Page -3- Moving Costs: $32,996.46 Attorney’s Fees $35,964.42 Expert Fees: $9,820.83 Total: $314,126.45 I have also enclosed a breakdown of the home improvements and moving costs referenced above. Should your client wish to go forward with the purchase of my clients’ home, it will need to pay the above referenced amounts contemporaneous with the home’s closing. And should we come to an agreement, the closing is fine to take place within 90 days, provided that we agree to any extensions necessary due to good faith circumstances of my clients. Finally, your client must agree to pay all closing costs. As always, I am available to discuss any questions or comments you may have. Very truly yours, /s/ Dax O. Faubus Dax O. Faubus DOF/dlg cc: Via E-Mail: Savoie-efile@craincaton.com Joe R. Savoi Dax O. Faubus, Partner The Faubus Firm • 1001 Texas Ave., 11th Floor• Houston, Texas 77002 Dax@faubusfirm.com Telephone: 713.222.6400 • Facsimile: 713.222.7240• www.faubusfirm.com Purchase Counteroffer Purchase Price $227,560.00 Home Improvements Closing Costs $7,484.74 Garage Door $300.00 Opener & Install Home $300.00 Total Home $300.00 Improvements Improvements Moving Costs $32,996.46 Attorney’s Fees $35,964.42 Expert Fees $9,820.83 Moving Costs Move Out $2,940.00 Storage $1,272.00 Total: $314,126.45 Contents Cleaning $21,843.46 (Per Riverstone Building & Consulting Mold Remediation Report) Contents $6,941.00 Replacement Total Moving $32,996.46 Costs 1 Attorney’s Fees Employee Activity Date Memo/Description Duration Rate Amount Initial teleconference with clients; receipt and review client materials and Dax O. Faubus 11/02/2018 1.1 $450.00 mold report from AQ Testing. $495.00 Status conference concerning new client; prepare and forward fee Debra Green 11/06/2018 1.0 $150.00 agreement. $150.00 Receipt and review signed fee agreement; open new case; email with clients Debra Green 11/07/2018 0.8 $150.00 concerning documents; conference with expert concerning inspection. $112.50 Debra Green 11/12/2018Email with clients concerning case documents. 0.6 $150.00 $90.00 Debra Green 11/14/2018Assist attorney in preparing and serving RCLA notice letter. 1.0 $150.00 $150.00 Dax O. Faubus 11/14/2018Draft and revise RCLA notice. 1.5 $450.00 $675.00 Receipt and review proposal from DD Mechanical; forward same to client; Debra Green 11/22/2018 1.0 $150.00 prepare for production. $150.00 Dax O. Faubus 11/22/2018Receipt and review proposal from DD Mechanical. 0.8 $450.00 $360.00 Dax O. Faubus 11/29/2018Receipt and review RCLA correspondence from opposing counsel. 0.5 $450.00 $225.00 Receipt and review email from opposing counsel concerning inspection; Debra Green 11/30/2018 0.1 $150.00 forward same to client. $15.00 Dax O. Faubus 11/30/2018Receipt and review email correspondence re: RCLA inspections. 0.4 $450.00 $180.00 Conference with experts concerning inspection; Email with client Debra Green 12/07/2018 0.1 $150.00 concerning same. $15.00 Angela Petro 12/12/2018Travel to and attend Inspection. 3.0 $100.00 $300.00 Angela Petro 12/13/2018Travel to and attend inspection. 5.0 $100.00 $500.00 Debra Green 12/17/2018Email with clients concerning recent inspection. 0.6 $150.00 $90.00 Receipt and review correspondence from opposing counsel; forward same Debra Green 12/28/2018 0.6 $150.00 to clients. $90.00 Dax O. Faubus 12/28/2018Receipt and review RCLA offer from opposing counsel. 1.5 $450.00 $675.00 Status conference concerning deadline to respond to RCLA offer; email Debra Green 01/22/2019 0.5 $150.00 with opposing counsel requesting extension to respond. $75.00 Dax O. Faubus 01/24/2019Draft and revise RCLA correspondence to opposing counsel. 1.8 $450.00 $810.00 Angela Petro 02/26/2019Assisted attorney with finalizing petitions. 1.0 $100.00 $100.00 Prepared and Drafted Clients Original Petition and RFD, Case Information Terri Webb02/27/2019 1.3 $85.00 Sheet, and Request for Service. $110.50 Debra Green 03/01/2019Assist attorney in preparing and filing original petition. 1.0 $150.00 $150.00 Dax O. Faubus 03/01/2019Draft and revise original petition and request for disclosures. 3.4 $450.00 $1,530.00 Dax O. Faubus 03/04/2019Receipt and review Court’s notice of case setting.0.3 $450.00 $135.00 Debra Green 03/07/2019Email with client concerning case status and inspection. 0.2 $150.00 $30.00 Ada I. Ferrer 03/12/2019Review and analyze case file. 0.3 $250.00 $62.50 Email with process server concerning status of service; calendar deadline Debra Green 03/18/2019 0.2 $150.00 for Defendant to file answer. $30.00 Review the return from the process server. Calculate the answer date. Ada I. Ferrer 03/25/2019 0.2 $250.00 Review Omnifocus to verify the date was entered. $41.67 Debra Green 03/26/2019Conference with mold expert concerning inspection.0.6 $150.00 $90.00 Receipt and review correspondence from opposing counsel; forward same Debra Green 04/05/2019 0.1 $150.00 to clients. $15.00 Receipt and review correspondence from opposing counsel re: remedial Dax O. Faubus 04/05/2019 0.3 $450.00 work. $135.00 Receipt and review Defendant’s answer and plea in abatement; forward Debra Green 04/08/2019 0.2 $150.00 same to clients. $30.00 Receipt and review defendants Plea in Abatement, original answer and Dax O. Faubus 04/08/2019 1.6 $450.00 general denial $720.00 Review the returned affidavit from the client. Prepare the response to the Ada I. Ferrer 04/17/2019 0.5 $250.00 plea in abatement. $125.00 Draft discovery requests. Draft affidavit and response to plea in Ada I. Ferrer 04/17/2019 1.0 $250.00 abatement. $250.00 Dax O. Faubus 04/17/2019Draft and revise first written discovery requests.2.6 $450.00 $1,170.00 Assist attorney in preparing and filing response to motion to abate and Debra Green 04/18/2019 1.0 $150.00 controverting affidavit. $150.00 Debbie Review and revisions to1st Integrated Discovery Requests to Defendant, 04/19/2019 0.8 $150.00 Pellegrin service of same on opposing counsel. $120.00 Draft and revise Plaintiffs amended response to defendants plea in Dax O. Faubus 04/22/2019 1.5 $450.00 abatement. $675.00 Receipt and review defendants objection and responses to plaintiffs first Dax O. Faubus 05/17/2019 2.1 $450.00 written discovery requests. $945.00 Ada I. Ferrer 05/22/2019Review FHA information. 0.3 $250.00 $62.50 Review of discovery responses; conference with D. Faubus, D. Green and Debbie 05/22/2019A. Ferrer concerning same; preparation and transmittal of correspondence 0.8 $150.00 Pellegrin to opposing counsel concerning discovery responses. $120.00 Draft and review correspondence to opposing counsel re: discovery Dax O. Faubus 05/22/2019 0.3 $450.00 responses. $135.00 Conduct research regarding FHA loans. Review the docket control order Ada I. Ferrer 05/23/2019 0.6 $250.00 and instruct D. Green to contact client. $145.83 Conferences with D. Faubus, D. Green and A. Ferrer re: status conference Debbie of this date; telephone conferences with opposing counsel concerning 05/23/2019 1.0 $150.00 Pellegrin status conference of this date; telephone conferences with Court Coordinator concerning status conference of this Date. $150.00 Prepare for and attend status conference; eceipt and review signed docket Dax O. Faubus 05/23/2019 2.0 $450.00 control order. $900.00 Debra Green 05/24/2019Received and docketed docket control order. 0.7 $150.00 $105.00 Debbie 05/24/2019Transmittal of DCO to client and request for additional documents. 0.8 $150.00 Pellegrin $120.00 Dax O. Faubus 05/24/2019Receipt and review defendants request for oral hearing. 0.3 $450.00 $135.00 Conduct an extensive review of the file to identify and determine statute of Ada I. Ferrer 06/18/2019 0.8 $250.00 limitations. $187.50 Assist attorney in preparing for hearing; status conference concerning Debra Green 07/29/2019 0.5 $150.00 outcome of hearing. $75.00 Prepare for and attend oral hearing on Defendants Plea in Abatement; Dax O. Faubus 07/29/2019 2.5 $450.00 receipt and review signed agreed order of abatement. $1,125.00 Dax O. Faubus 07/30/2019Receipt and review Court's notice of order entry. 0.4 $450.00 $180.00 Erika Fernandez 10/09/2019Assisted attorney in bate labeling client documents. 1.2 $85.00 $97.75 Erika Fernandez 10/23/2019Assisted attorney in bates labeling client documents. 0.2 $85.00 $12.75 Erika Fernandez 10/23/2019Assisted attorney in bates labeling client documents. 0.3 $85.00 $21.25 Erika Fernandez 10/23/2019Assisted attorney in bates labeling client documents. 0.5 $85.00 $39.67 1 Employee Activity Date Memo/Description Duration Rate Amount Receipt and review mold protocol from Linda Lauver; forward same to Debra Green 10/31/2019 1.0 $150.00 clients; prepare and produce supplemental document production. $150.00 Dax O. Faubus 10/31/2019Receipt and review mold protocol from AQ Testing. 2.4 $450.00 $1,080.00 Debra Green 11/13/2019Status conference concerning status of abatement and next steps. 0.2 $150.00 $30.00 Assist attorney in preparing and filing motion to lift abatement and for new Debra Green 11/19/2019 1.0 $150.00 scheduling order. $150.00 Draft and revise Plaintiffs Motion to Lift Abatement and Request fro New Dax O. Faubus 11/19/2019 1.5 $450.00 Docket Control Order and Request for Oral Hearing. $675.00 Dax O. Faubus 11/20/2019Receipt and review Court’s notice of case setting.0.4 $450.00 $180.00 Receipt and review correspondence from opposing counsel re: construction Dax O. Faubus 11/21/2019 0.5 $450.00 defects. $225.00 Draft and revise correspondence to opposing counsel re: Discovery Dax O. Faubus 11/22/2019 0.5 $450.00 requests. $225.00 Receipt and review correspondence from opposing counsel re: construction Dax O. Faubus 11/27/2019 0.5 $450.00 defects. $225.00 Receipt and review report from Apollo BBC; forward same to client; Debra Green 11/28/2019 1.0 $150.00 prepare for production. $150.00 Dax O. Faubus 11/28/2019Receipt and review report from expert Apollo BBC. 2.5 $450.00 $1,125.00 Dax O. Faubus 12/03/2019Draft and revise correspondence to opposing counsel. 0.3 $450.00 $135.00 Confer with DG re: hearing on Motion to Lift Abatement. Draft a Notice of Jamie A. Diaz 12/10/2019 0.5 $100.00 Hearing and filed with the court and served on all parties. $50.00 Receipt and review Court's notice of oral hearing on Plaintffs Motion to Dax O. Faubus 12/10/2019 0.3 $450.00 Lift Abatement and Request for New Docket Control order. $135.00 Debra Green 12/12/2019Assist attorney in preparing for hearing. 0.5 $150.00 $75.00 Receipt and review Defendants response to Plaintiffs Motion to Lift Dax O. Faubus 12/12/2019 0.8 $450.00 Abatement. $360.00 Jamie A. Diaz 12/13/2019Calendar and save in Omni the New DCO. 1.0 $100.00 $100.00 Prepare for and attend oral hearing on Plaintiffs Motion to Lift Abatement; Dax O. Faubus 12/13/2019 3.5 $450.00 receipt and review signed docket control order. $1,575.00 Dax O. Faubus 12/16/2019Receipt and review Court's notice of order entry. 0.3 $450.00 $135.00 Jamie A. Diaz 12/20/2019Sent a Trial reminder to the Experts and the clients. 0.3 $100.00 $25.00 Receipt and review defendants first amended objection and responses to Dax O. Faubus 01/06/2020plaintiffs first written discovery requests; receipt and review defendants 1.2 $450.00 responses to request for disclosure. $540.00 Receipt and review defendants first request for production and Dax O. Faubus 03/18/2020 1.4 $450.00 interrogatories to plaintiffs. $630.00 Erika 03/30/2020Work on Responses to Greeneco's First RFPs and ROGs. 1.0 $100.00 Stubblefield $100.00 Dax O. Faubus 04/01/2020Receipt and review defendants first request for disclosures. 0.3 $450.00 $135.00 Receipt and review Request for Disclosure from opposing counsel; Jamie A. Diaz 04/02/2020 0.3 $100.00 forward same to client. $25.00 Receipt and review email from opposing c