$51 million worth of justice for couple cheated by Houston builder

It is a nightmare that many people across the country have faced: being stuck with a defective home and fighting with the builder to fix it properly.  One Houston couple has been fighting against an unscrupulous builder for over ten years – and they have finally found justice, in court.

Thanks to a lawsuit that led to a jury trial, Houston couple Bob and Jane Cull were awarded $51 million because of problems that Houston homebuilder Bob Perry and his company, Perry Homes, refused to fix for them.  This was after numerous problems discovered on the Cull’s Perry-built home that they purchased over 13 years ago, and after they won $800,000 in arbitration – that Perry refused to pay. 

Skeptics contend that the case bounced around in the Texas court system for years because Perry was a major contributor to members of the high court.  According to news reports, Perry – known as the biggest campaign contributor in Texas – his family, and his political committees contributed over $260,000 to court members.

The award to the Culls is for $7 million in actual damages and $40 million in punitive damages.  In addition, the company that issued a warranty on the Cull’s house was also ordered to pay $4 million in additional punitive damages for failing to honor the warranty.

This verdict is a triumph for homeowners, many of whom have had the same problem as the Culls: how to get big businesses to stand behind their product when those businesses are extremely well connected politically.  Homeowners in these situations are so often left out in the cold, while big business owners like Bob Perry wear them down with endless appeals and legal shenanigans.