Jury rules for the plaintiffs

The jury in the Oconee Common Pleas Court returned verdicts in favor of the plaintiffs in a trial over construction defects at their lakeside town homes. It was a verdict awarding the property owners of Stoneledge at Lake Keowee Owners’ Association a total of $5 million to pay for repairs to first phase Stoneledge town homes that sustained water intrusion. The trial, which lasted nearly two weeks, was framed in a way to allow the jury to choose which of two repair plans to accept. The $5 million awarded is to be applied proportionally among the remaining defendants—including Bostic Brothers Construction, the project developer, and Marick Home Builders, a contractor that joined the project once Bostic pulled out. The defendants have a 10-day window in which to appeal last night’s verdict.