PASADENA : Condo Owners Win Jury Award of $6.3 Million

A group of Pasadena condominium owners who paid a premium price for luxury residences won a $6.3-million jury award Tuesday from the developer for shoddy workmanship and short space.

The 16 homeowners who make up the 515 S. Orange Grove Owners Assn. had complained of water leaks and excessive noise soon after moving into the complex built by Orange Grove Partners and Pasadena developer Victor Illig. The 5-year-old condos were sold for $500,000 to $1 million per unit.

The lawsuit against Illig’s Orange Grove Partners was filed in September, 1992, after an expert hired by the homeowner’s association turned up evidence that the property was structurally unsound and that nine owners had paid for larger square footage than they got.

The jury awarded more than $5.7 million to compensate the association for defective construction and nearly $600,000 to be divided among the owners whose units were found to be smaller than advertised. The verdict comes after the jury reviewed thousands of exhibits during seven weeks of trial, including a tour of the property that the homeowners lawyer, Lee Barker, believed sealed the verdict.

“When they could see with their own eyes and hear with their own ears the problems,” Barker said, “that was one of the deciding factors.”

Neither Illig nor his attorney could be reached for comment Tuesday.