California's Construction Defect Law Firm

Lawyers Dedicated to Protecting California Homeowners

Anderson & Kriger's dedicated staff works every day to get homeowners fair compensation from the California legal system for the problems affecting their homes.

Law Firm History:

Clayton Anderson and Anderson & Kriger have been providing legal services to California homeowners regarding construction defects since 1982. Actually, Mr. Anderson handled his first construction defect case as the president of a homeowners association for four years in San Diego County. Standard Pacific Corporation in the late 1970s had built and sold a number of homes but left the common area unfinished. The common area was supposed to have extensive landscaping surrounding a tennis court and other amenities. Mr. Anderson and the Board of Directors, without having to file a lawsuit, negotiated a return of Standard Pacific to complete all of the landscaping as represented to the owners during the sales program.

Clayton Anderson and Anderson & Kriger in their construction defect practice are building on a history of law and litigation that stretches back into the suburban building boom after World War II. During that time period, developers and builders had their own crews that would do roofing, drywall, concrete, and all of the other construction components of a development. If there were problems, the owner of a building company would simply direct one of his workmen who specialized in that area of construction to go back and make the clients happy.

Many of today's giant developers, such as KB Homes, actually started in the 1950s with this type of construction practices. There were fewer construction defect cases in the 50s and 60s, but there have always been complaints about quality of construction and lawsuits have been filed and settled.

In the late 1960s, two changes in the construction business joined forces to create the law practice that Anderson & Kriger has today. First, developers started using more subcontractors, not their own workers, to build even larger developments of 100 or 200 homes. They would rely on the owners and supervisors of the subcontractors to largely guarantee the quality of construction. This has not worked out quite so well.

The second change which occurred in 1969 was the application by the California Supreme Court of expanded liability for developers in the building of residential housing projects. A legal claim called strict liability, which prior to that time had applied only to lawnmowers and automobiles and other products generally was now applied in its entirety to a house. Within ten years attorneys in California were using that theory to seek compensation for homeowners. The initial strict liability lawsuits in California in the 70s and 80s applied generally to condominium projects. Although there was some litigation over individual homes, that practice did not start until the 1990s. Starting in the early 1980s, Anderson & Kriger and its staff worked with both individual homeowners and condominium owners to investigate and provide compensation.

Helping California Homeowners is Our #1 Priority

The first Anderson & Kriger case in 1982 was a condominium project in Mission Valley of approximately 80 units. The roofs were leaking very badly and a recovery was obtained with the owners able to make the necessary repairs. In the 1990s, litigation in condominiums slowly decreased and single family home cases began to dominate. Also in the 1980s, the legal system started to struggle with the construction and legal issues regarding condominium conversions.

Condominium conversions reach a peak at the end of a housing cycle when prices have risen substantially and decade old apartments are converted into condominiums. The first end of the building boom cycle was in 1991 when many condominium conversion owners were left high and dry with declining property values, foreclosures and construction defects.

Anderson & Kriger, in the 1990s, worked with the owners of condominium conversions, the owners of newly built condominiums, and many single family owners from the Mexican border all the way up to Bakersfield. Offices have been set up in Rancho Cucamonga, Riverside, Orange County, Antelope Valley, north of Los Angeles, and Bakersfield.

In 2001, Anderson & Kriger expanded to Sacramento, which is now one of its largest offices, dealing with single family homes, homeowner associations, substantial soils damages and failures of septic systems to name just a few of the issues. Having a presence throughout the state of California, and only providing legal services to residents of California rather than other parts of the country, provides unique advantages to Anderson & Kriger.

First of all, we are familiar with all of the major defense law firms for developers and subcontractors, and have built long-standing relationships with them.
Second, we have developed over the decades a core group of expert witnesses who investigate construction defects and testify in our trials.
Third, we have tried cases from Yuba City north of Sacramento, all the way down to the courts of San Diego County. We presently have cases in many of the 58 counties in California and are able to service property owner needs of the various counties throughout the state.
Finally, the staff at Anderson & Kriger works as a team of all five offices sharing information regarding insurance companies, law firms, court systems, improvements in handling cases and sharing information as to how to provide the best services to our clients.

Anderson & Kriger's staff of approximately 30 attorneys, paralegals, and support people, works every day to get homeowners fair compensation from the California legal system for the problems affecting their homes. Anderson & Kriger will continue to do so in the years and decades to come.

Contact a Homeowner Dedicated Attorney Directly at A&K Law

Call us now at 1.877.494.1046 (Southern California Residents) or 1.800.365.2075 (Northern California Residents) to speak with an attorney or send an eMail to schedule a no-cost consultation. Let us help you protect your home!