Eggleston & Briscoe Houston Trial Lawyers Win $22 Million Defense Verdict for Colony Insurance

HOUSTON, June 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Houston trial lawyers William Eggleston and John Michael Raborn of the litigation and appellate firm Eggleston & Briscoe have secured a complete defense win for client Colony Insurance Company in a $22 million lawsuit filed by a townhouse homeowners association over roof hail damage to 41 buildings.

On Monday, June 13, 2011, Judge Jaclanel McFarland of Harris County's 133rd District Court entered a take-nothing judgment in the lawsuit filed by Summer Hill Village Community Association. The association failed to convince a jury that Richmond, Va.-based Colony Insurance breached its contract or violated state laws when it denied coverage for prior roof damage that homeowners wanted repaired.

During the 10-day trial, jurors heard from several witnesses who had inspected the roofs that covered 250 homes. The jury found that although homeowners claimed their hail damage came from a 2007 storm, the actual damage pre-dated that storm. Trial evidence showed that Colony Insurance inspected the 13-year-old roofs more than once at the request of the homeowners association.

"When your client is sued for a claim of $22 million, it is very satisfying to hear a jury agree that they in fact acted honorably and owed nothing," says Mr. Eggleston. "Colony Insurance stood its ground despite repeated claims from the association and the association's attorneys, and we were proud to stand with Colony in trial."

The case is Summer Hill Village Community Association Inc. v. Colony Insurance Company, No. 2008-50184.

Eggleston & Briscoe, LLP, serves the needs of corporate, institutional and individual clients from around the world. Our lawyers have a broad base of trial and appellate experience in contract and business disputes, insurance coverage and first party claims, employment and employer liability issues, construction and construction defect cases, dram shop claims, professional liability, products liability, premises liability, environmental matters, fiduciary and surety litigation, school law, cargo and warehouseman's liability cases, and energy law. More information about the firm can be found at www.egglestonbriscoe.com.

For more information on the Colony Insurance verdict, please contact Mary Flood at 713-383-0090 or [email protected].

SOURCE Eggleston & Briscoe, LLP