Soils swelled, cracking substructure; single-asset subsidiary sues. Residential homebuilders owe an independent duty to homeowners to build a home with reasonable care. In this CAR 4.2 interlocutory appeal, Defendant homebuilders argued that the economic loss rule should prevent a corporate subsidiary of a bank from bringing tort claims that a natural-person homeowner could bring. Rejecting each of Defendants’ arguments, the court of appeals held that the independent duty owed by homebuilders announced in Cosmopolitan Homes, Inc. v. Weller, 663 P.2d 1041(Colo. 1983) also prevents the economic loss rule from barring a corporate-plaintiff’s construction defect claims. A homebuilder’s duty of care is owed to any subsequent owner of a house because the duty arises from the residential nature of the project, not the nature of the homeowner (corporate or otherwise).
http://www.courts.state.co.us/Courts/Court_of_Appeals/Opinion/2013/13CA0519-PD.pdf
http://www.cobar.org/opinions/opinion.cfm?opinionid=9049&courtid=1
Pingback: In re the Estate of Carol S. Gattis, deceased. Scott M. Gattis, Linda L. Spreitzer, and Amy G. Goeden, as Personal Representatives, v. John E. McNutt; Timothy A. McNutt; and Christopher L. Boortz, 2013COA145 (Nov. 7, 2013) | Colorado Litigation Report ™
Pingback: S K Peightal Engineers, LTD, a Colorado corporation; Hepworth-Pawlak Geotechnical, Inc., a Colorado corporation; Steve Pawlak; and Daniel E. Hardin v. Mid Valley Real Estate Solutions V, LLC, 2015CO7 (February 9, 2015) | Colorado Litigation Report ™