La Jolla

Rather than appeal a $22.4-million verdict, a Newport Beach developer ordered by a San Diego County jury to fix construction defects at a 419-unit La Jolla condominium complex has settled the case for $18 million, the winning attorneys announced Wednesday.

Last December, a San Diego County jury assessed the $22.4 million verdict against the Newport Beach-based Donald L. Bren Co. The jury found that the foundations of Bren-built condominiums at La Jolla Village Southpointe, near Gilman Drive, were inadequate to resist high winds or earthquakes, as required by the city’s Building Code.

The jury also found other defects, such as untested fireplaces and unstable soils and drainage systems, which caused the partial landslide of an adjacent road onto nearby Interstate 5 in 1983, a lawyer for the homeowners’ association said.

Shortly after the jury verdict came in, Bren executives said they were likely to appeal. However, Bren opted Jan. 26 to settle the case by paying the association $18 million cash, a lawyer for the homeowners, Mickey McGuire, said in a statement.

Bren officials and lawyers could not be reached Wednesday for comment. The condominium association’s board will decide how to disperse the money for repairs to the units, said another of its lawyers, Catherine A. Richardson.