My Blog
Inadequate Septic Tank Inspection, Los Angeles County, CA.
As a requirement of the lender, the septic system serving a house for sale was inspected by a septic system service company. Two weeks after the new owner moved in, the system failed. A second septic system service company noted that the earlier inspection was...
Death from Septic Tank Dry Well, Ventura County.
Unbeknownst to the present homeowners, the septic tank system of their home was equipped with a dry well, rather than a conventional leach field. The dry well was about 3-feet in diameter and 25-feet deep. This type of disposal facility had been permitted until...
Hepatitis Infection from Surfacing Septic Tank Effluent, Marin County.
Provided expert technical advice on a suit where the children of a farm worker were alleged to have contracted hepatitis from exposure to surfacing septic tank effluent.
Alameda County, CA.
Served as expert witness in a case involving the failure of a leach field of a septic tank system at a very large single-family home shortly after the leach field was constructed. While channeling the overflowing sewage away from the residence, the home owner...
Surfacing Septic Tank Effluent.
Reviewed voluminous documents and summarized the technical facts for the attorneys for two insurance companies, whose insureds were being sued by a downslope neighbor who claimed that their septic systems were discharging on to his property. Interviewed the...
Flooding of Apartment Complex, Phoenix, AZ.
Provided expert technical advice on the probable causes of the flooding incident, the role that grease in the sewer system may have played, and the implications of a backflow preventer. Prepared an extensive list of documents to be produced.
Cesspool Failure, City of Los Angeles
Advised on the failure of a cesspool at an expensive private residence in the City of Los Angeles. The purchaser of the residence was not informed that an older cesspool had failed and had been filled in. Attempts to construct a new cesspool were unsuccessful and the...
Defense Of A Sewer Maintenance Firm.
Served as an expert witness for a contract sewer operations firm that maintained the sewer system for a City in the Sacramento area. A business that was flooded sued the maintenance firm as well as the City and others. Developed information that showed that the...
Homeowner v. City.
Evaluated a situation in which a private sewer serving several residences in a court was found to be backing up. The City, which owned the public sewer to which the private sewer connected, inspected their portion of the piping and found that it was not blocked. The...