YORBA LINDA

The city will be named as a defendant in a multimillion dollar lawsuit by three homeowners who allege it is responsible for landslide damage to their homes, attorneys representing the plaintiffs said. At Tuesday’s council meeting, council members denied the legal claims the homeowners filed against the city.

Donald Fisher, an attorney representing Ron and Dianna Muranaka, said he will amend the lawsuit to include the city; the complaint currently names the land developers, Pacific Scene Inc., which has since gone out of business, as defendants. The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified compensatory damages and attorney’s fees. Fisher contends that the city should not have approved the project because the land is on top of a fault line. The cracks, in the yard and on the home’s walls, are multiplying, he said.

City officials said they are not surprised at the legal action. It is common for claims to escalate into lawsuits, said City Attorney Leonard Hampel.

The complaint, filed in November, alleges that Pacific Scene was also negligent in designing and building the Muranakas’ home nine years ago in the Hidden Hills community.

The developers’ negligence ultimately caused damages from a 1998 landslide, according to the complaint.