Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the Lawsuit About?
- What are my options?
- How do I get more information?
- Who are the attorneys of the class members?
- What is the Lawsuit About?
There is currently pending in the Merced County Superior Court a class action lawsuit entitled JOSEPH SAUCEDO V. STONEFIELD HOME, INC., Case No. 19cv-04303 (“Lawsuit”). Plaintiffs Leon Morris, Tina Morris, Eliab Muniz, Oscar Reyes, and Patricia Rodriguez (the “Plaintiffs”) filed the lawsuit against Stonefield Home, Inc. (“Stonefield”) and on behalf of themselves and those persons described above. The lawsuit claims that the foundations of certain homes built by Stonefield in the cities of Los Banos and Atwater located in Merced County contain Simpson metal straps that are intended to resist wind and seismic forces are corroding which constitutes a violation of one or more of the Standards for Residential Construction set forth at Civil Code section 896. Each of the homes included in the class are alleged to contain Simpson straps where each home can have as little as 5 and up to 20 such straps in the foundation.
The Court ruled, by Order September 18, 2023, that the case may go forward on a class basis. The Court has not, however, rendered any opinion as to whether Plaintiffs or Stonefield Home, Inc. are correct about the legal claims in the case.
The Court has not decided whether Plaintiffs or Stonefield are correct. By establishing the Class and issuing the Notice, the Court is not suggesting that the Plaintiffs or Stonefield will win or lose this case. Plaintiffs must prove the Class’s claims at a trial in the future.
Top - What are my options?
If you want, the Court will exclude you from this action so long as the request form is completed and postmarked on or before March 15, 2024.
If you do not exclude yourself in writing, your claims will be resolved by the Court's rulings in this lawsuit. In other words, any judgment the Court reaches in this case, whether favorable or not, will be binding on and final for you.
YOUR OPTIONS
- Do Nothing. If you want to participate in this class action lawsuit, no further action on your part is required. By doing nothing, you agree to be represented by the attorneys identified below as class counsel and by the plaintiffs as the class representatives for purposes of this lawsuit.
- Exclude Yourself from the Class. You have the right to exclude yourself ("opt-out") from the Class, meaning you will not be legally bound by the outcome of this class action lawsuit. If you opt-out, you will not be entitled to any portion of any award given to plaintiffs in this lawsuit, although you will retain your right to sue the defendants based on the subject matter of this lawsuit. To "opt-out", you must complete the "Opt-Out Form" accompanying the Notice and follow all instructions on that form.
- How do I get more information?
If you have questions about the Notice or the class action, or if you did not receive the Notice in the mail and you believe that you are or may be a member of the Class, you should contact the Plaintiff’s Counsel at one of the following addresses or by telephone. Please do not contact counsel by email. You may also contact the settlement administrator by email.
Kenneth S. Kasdan, Scott J. Thomson, Jeffrey T. Kubiak, Jordan M. Rojas, Haejung Kim
KASDAN TURNER THOMSON BOOTH LLP
1280 Civic Drive, Suite 200
Walnut Creek, CA 94596
Tel: (925) 906-9220
Fax: (925) 906-9221
OR
Saucedo v. Stonefield Home Settlement Administrator
P.O. Box 301130
Los Angeles, CA 90030-1130Toll-free: (800) 606-5765
Top - Who are the attorneys of the class members?
If you do not exclude yourself from the Class, you will be represented by Class Counsel in this litigation. If you prefer to represent yourself or be represented by your own lawyer, you may exclude yourself and represent yourself or hire your own lawyer.
The Court has appointed the following attorneys as Class Counsel: Kenneth S. Kasdan, Scott J. Thomson, Jordan M. Rojas, Haejung Kim, Jeffrey T. Kubiak of Kasdan Turner Thomson Booth LLP. Class Counsel can be reached at:
KASDAN TURNER THOMSON BOOTH LLP
1280 Civic Drive, Suite 200
Walnut Creek, CA 94596
Tel: (925) 906-9220
Fax: (925) 906-9221
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