Nuggets' Iverson sues builder of Atlanta residence
By D.L. BENNETT The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 10/19/07
All NBA legend Allen Iverson wanted was a simple home for his family in Atlanta.
Simple for a guy making more than $19 million a year — a nearly 15,000-square-foot, three-story monster in the ultra-exclusive Country Club of the South development in Alpharetta, where Iverson could hobnob with other athletes, entertainers and assorted celebrities.
he got a $2.2 million dump marred by such shoddy construction, his wife and four children had to abandon the home after just 60 days.
Now, Iverson has hired Atlanta lawyer Kurt Hilbert and filed suit against the builder, seeking more than $6.2 million in damages. Iverson wants to force the builder to refund the purchase price of $2.2 million and to pay the family for relocation expenses, custom-built furnishings and other damages.
"When you purchase a high-end home in Atlanta, it is reasonable to expect the highest quality of construction," Hilbert said. "What the Iversons unknowingly purchased was equivalent to buying a Ferrari without an engine."
The builder, Order Homes of Atlanta, contends the house is perfectly safe and has offered to fix any problems cited by Iverson. The builder's lawyers say the Iversons and their lawyers will only consider forcing Order Homes to buy back the structure and pay additional millions in damages.
"Order Homes stands by all of its work on the Iverson home and is ready, willing and able to make any and all repairs which are necessary," said Marietta attorney Alec Galloway, representing the firm. "Additionally, Order Homes is ready and willing to fulfill all of its contractual and legal obligations to the Iversons. The Iversons, however, have been unwilling to allow Order Homes to stand behind their work and instead have chosen to file suit."
Galloway noted that Order Homes and its principals, Saeid Sadri and Nasser Golshani, have built more than 300 houses in metro Atlanta and have never been sued. Sadri is a registered architect and an associate professor at Georgia Tech's College of Architecture, according to Order Homes' Web site, www.orderconstruction.com.
Order Homes is one of several affiliated companies that specialize in residential and nonresidential construction — including schools, fire stations, office buildings, warehouses, restaurants and government buildings — in the Atlanta area, the Web site states.
Pictures taken by experts hired by the NBA's four-time leading scorer show a series of horizontal and vertical cracks in brickwork on the outside of the house. Inside, the house has been plagued with settling as well as wide gaps in doorways, oak floorboards that have separated and floor-to-ceiling cracks in walls.
Experts hired by the Iversons reported that the trusses in the floor system at the center of the home weren't built to handle all the weight above, causing the house to sag dramatically.
"The home is not habitable," the lawsuit contends.
The Westbourne house was started on spec, and Iverson became its first owner. The player, who's in the midst of a six-year $90 million contract with the Denver Nuggets, closed on the property in June, furnished the home with custom-made pieces and quickly moved in with his wife, Tawanna, and four children.
The family moved out a couple of months later and has been searching for a new home. Candis Rosier, Iverson's business manager, said the incident has been disturbing to the family.
"They went through all the trouble and expense of moving into the home, and shortly thereafter, the floor started sinking and the walls starting cracking, causing them to again incur the expense of moving out and into temporary Atlanta living arrangements. Now the children are the ones who are most hurt. Nothing is worse then hearing your children say, 'Mommy, when are we going home?' "
Iverson, 32, came into the league in 1996 after just two years at Georgetown University. Traded to Denver last year from Philadelphia, he has been no stranger to controversy.
Known for his quick first step and uncanny ability to get to the basket, Iverson has been a perennial All Star. However, he also has been routinely criticized because of his 40-percent shooting average and penchant for taking difficult shots and failure to win a championship.
Some hoops watchers have complained that Iverson's hip-hop image make him the symbol of everything wrong with the league, while others say he's one of the hardest workers in basketball.
He's also had various run-ins with the law during his basketball-playing years, including arrests on drug and weapons charges and for assault after he allegedly tossed his wife naked from their home after an argument and later tried to burst into an apartment to look for her.
He pleaded no contest to the weapons and drug charges and was sentenced to community service. All charges stemming from the alleged assault were dropped after conflicting testimonies from witnesses.
You know what? I don't blame him for suing their asses. If it ain't up to your expectations and the place is falling apart (which it is), then shit. You need to sue and get your money back! Who's to say that the builder built on the right land? For all we know, the builder may not have been permitted to build in that area. The real estate business is really shady nowadays so I don't put nothing past them.
Pictures of the home can be seen using the link above. Now, I know that homes settle for years after being built so a crack here and there are normal. But damn! I ain't know that included cracks in the brick exterior of the house. I hope the company used licensed professionals, but now that I think about it, I wonder who the hell selected as a home inspection company. Lord, I hope they were certified. If not, then AI may get the short end of the stick for this just as much as the builder for failing to fix repairs, if there were any, before the final walk-through.
