Jury selection began Monday in a construction defect case that pits hundreds of local condo owners against the nation’s largest homebuilder.
The lawsuit alleges that D.R. Horton violated Florida Building Code when it built the 240-unit Heron’s Landing complex on Beach Boulevard. The lawsuit, filed in 2013, specifically cites widespread construction defects, including cracked stucco, leaking roofs and improperly installed balconies. A handful of subcontractors are also named as defendants.
The case is unusual because construction defect claims are typically handled in secret. Virtually every modern sales contract prohibits home or condo owners from suing in open court, and instead forces them into a closed process called arbitration. But this case was filed not by individual condo owners, but by the Heron's Landing Condominium Association – a body not bound by individual sale contracts.
First Coast News reached out to D.R. Horton’s local office and its corporate headquarters in Texas for comment, but have not heard back yet.
Because there are multiple defendants in the case, the Duval County Clerk of Court summoned an extra large jury pool—150 potential jurors to fill six seats, with four alternates. A jury is expected to be seated tomorrow.
