Defective design, water intrusion and humidity problems are just a few of the allegations in a lawsuit Loyola filed against the construction, insurance and engineering companies of New Residence Hall in January, according to New Orleans Civil Court documents.
The court records indicate that MAPP Construction, Inc.; Travelers Property & Casualty Insurance Company; Eskew + A Professional Corporation; and Einhorn Yaffee Prescott, Architecture & Engineering, P.C., have been named as defendants in the case.
Loyola is suing the companies for breach of contract, negligence, breach of warranty, legal compensation for damages, losses, repairs and costs for the legal proceedings.
The university claims to have spent almost $130,000 on repairs on the building caused by the allegedly defective design and construction.
Eskew has formally contended the allegations, and stated it complied in full accordance with its contract with EYP.
In the suit, Loyola claims that the defective design and construction has affected residents’ health due to water intrusion and humidity-related problems such as exposure to mold and mildew.
“The defective design, construction, workmanship, and/or installation of the building did not take into account what should be appropriate design parameters and/or building practices for the building and improvements, which are located in New Orleans and thus are regularly exposed to wet conditions and routinely humid climate,” the lawsuit states.
MAPP, EYP, Eskew and Loyola representatives inspected the hall in January, but have been only marginally successful in determining the source and extent of the water intrusion problems, according to the suit.
The suit further states that “no one has yet been able to identify or correct all of the causes of the water intrusion and high humidity problems, nor have all of the damages by said water intrusion and high humidity problems been repaired.”
“At this point, I can’t make any comment until my client tells me to do so,” J. Ashley Inabnet, an attorney representing Loyola in the case, said.
Richard Bell, Loyola Risk Management, said that the lawsuit is still in the process of litigation.
~ Naomi King can be reached at [email protected].
