LAGUNA HILLS : Trail Caused Slide, Homeowner Claims
The owner of a Nellie Gail Ranch custom home is seeking $3 million in a lawsuit against the property developer, claiming that the creation of a horse trail contributed to a serious mudslide in his back yard.
The suit, filed Thursday in Orange County Superior Court, by Mike Akrawi contends that the Presley Cos. and the Nellie Gail Ranch Owners Assn. were negligent in cutting the horse trail into his back yard hillside. He alleges that the trail destabilized the steep slope and caused the dirt to slide during heavy rains in January, 1993.
“The ranch owners association came every year with a tractor and cut further into the hillside to maintain the trail,” said Jennifer Hasso-Najm, Akrawi’s attorney. “So when the rains came, it became so saturated that all the dirt came down.”
She said Akrawi spent a large amount of money to repair the damage. But she declined to say how much was spent. The slide did not present a danger to the home itself, she added.
Rich Wilson, the manager of the owners association, said the mudslide at Akrawi’s home in the 25000 block of Nellie Gail Road resulted from “other things, such as improper drainage caused by Mr. Akrawi,” not the creation of the horse trail.
He said several other Nellie Gail Ranch properties also experienced minor mudslides during the rainstorms.
“This was typical California mud,” Wilson said. He said mudslides on hillsides should be expected.
The Presley Cos.’ lawyer declined to comment on the lawsuit Friday.
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