Colorado Judge Approves $7M Award for Homes on Sinking Soil

A Colorado judge has upheld an arbitrator’s award of more than $7 million to 20 homeowners at a golf course subdivision near Glenwood Springs whose properties were constructed on a soil linked to sinkholes and subsidence.

The judge also ruled that defendants Hansen Construction and Steve Hansen owe more than $2 million in legal fees.

An attorney for the plaintiffs had said that two of the homes built by Hansen Construction were condemned and several others had shifted or been damaged as a result of being built on salt-laden evaporate.

The judge has not yet ruled on a jury’s decision that the homes’ developer, LB Rose Ranch LLC, should pay more than $6.7 million in the case.

The awarded money will go toward restoring the homes.