Confidential
Settlement – $2,000,000Court
Napa Superior
Attorneys
Plaintiff
Richard A. Marcantonio
(Public Advocates)
Defendant
John J. Fritsch
(Office of the Santa Rosa City Attorney)
Facts
The plaintiffs, the V.R. Tenants Association and 250 individuals, were low-income tenants who
lived in six residential apartment complexes. Each complex was owned and managed by the
defendants in the city of Napa. The plaintiffs alleged that their apartments and the common
areas contained dangerous and substandard living conditions and that the building inspectors
from the city of Napa had cited the defendants for multiple violations of building and housing
codes for over a decade. In 1997, the city of Napa instituted a comprehensive inspection of one
of the apartment complexes in which the Building, Housing, Fire and Police Departments
participated. The inspections allegedly resulted in hundreds of code violations and required two
years of repair work to abate the conditions. city inspections of the other properties continued
through the year 2000, allegedly resulting in additional code violations and abatement orders.
Settlement Discussions
After a three-day mediation in February 2001 before Judge Coleman Fannin of JAMS in San Francisco, the case settled for $2,000,000. In addition to the habitability case, the mediation addressed and resolved complex coverage issues, arising from the numerous property insurers who provided coverage to the six properties and defendants.
Other Information
The plaintiffs filed the complaint on Oct
For reprint rights or to order a copy of your photo:
Email
jeremy@reprintpros.com
for prices.
Direct dial: 949-702-5390