Mud Threat Blamed on Removal of Wall

Neighbors of a Spring Valley woman whose home has been damaged by an avalanche of mud plan to file a lawsuit claiming she caused the slide to become a threat to their homes.

The mud began moving into Lenora Pullin’s home during last month’s rains, filling up three rooms and forcing Pullin, two daughters and an elderly father to take refuge in an apartment provided by the Red Cross.

But two of Pullin’s neighbors have hired attorney Patrick E. Catalano to file a lawsuit alleging that Pullin caused the mudslide by dismantling the retaining wall in her back yard. They want her to pay for repair work before the slide damages their property.

“Unless they find some funding, they’re going to have to come up with a substantial amount of money or face the loss or substantial devaluation of their homes,” Catalano said.

Catalano said his clients have videotape footage showing that the retaining wall didn’t fail when the mudslide first started, and that it was only after Pullin dismantled the wall that the slide broke loose.

The attorney said he has hired experts who believe the peril could have been avoided if the wall hadn’t been removed.

Pullin could not be reached for comment Tuesday to respond to the allegations.

Volunteers have offered to help her recover her yard and home by removing the excess earth, but Catalano said he’ll seek an injunction against Pullin unless repair work is planned by professional engineers.

“She (Pullin) has been put on notice that it’s an improper method . . . and it could lead to further damage,” Catalano said. “My clients fear that there will be more slide and more damage.”

“In order for contractors to do the work there has to be money . . . the problem is none of us can afford it,” said Linda Hansen, who lives next door to Pullin. “Nobody’s insurance is covering it.”

Friends and family have helped Hansen remove more than a dozen wheelbarrows of dirt a day from her back yard to her front yard.

“I don’t have a front yard anymore . . . it’s just one huge pile of dirt,” Hansen said.