Court gives green signal to Hanks case against builders
By IANSFriday, October 2, 2009
LONDON - Hollywood star Tom Hanks has won the latest round of his legal battle with a construction company he has accused of “shoddy” workmanship.
Hanks and wife Rita Wilson hired contractors Storey Construction to build their Sun Valley, Idaho villa in 2000 but tried to take the firm to a tribunal after discovering faults with the work. The bosses of the construction company refused to attend the hearing, insisting they had already been to arbitration, with a lower court later ratifying their claim.
But on Wednesday, the Idaho Supreme Court unanimously ruled Hanks can take the dispute to a hearing by an impartial third-party. And the Hollywood couple hopes the ruling will benefit others in the same situation, reports contactmusic.com.
“We believe the Supreme Court’s decision will have an impact far beyond our case, helping homeowners who have been wronged in ways that remain hidden long after their home has been built. Like anyone else in the same position, we simply wanted Storey Construction to reimburse us for what we have spent fixing shoddy and defective construction,” said a statement released by the couple.
Hanks first battled Storey Construction in a disagreement over payment - the firm sought arbitration after alleging the couple failed to settle the bill.
