A Florida judge ruled this week he will not allow a dispute over the quality of more than 340 homes constructed by Lennar on Seminole land and purchased by the Tribe to be resolved by arbitration.
Broward Circuit Court Judge David A. Haimes did permit arbitration for an additional 123 homes sold to individual Tribe members.
Tribe members sued Lennar earlier this year, alleging that hundreds of homes built by the Miami-based developer on tribal land over the last five years are in such shoddy condition that no one can safely live in them.
Attorney William Scherer of Conrad & Scherer, representing the Seminole Tribe, hailed the ruling as a major victory that means the case will proceed immediately in state court for the bulk of the properties.
“Arbitration is now off the table for three-fourths of the defective homes,” Scherer said. “We plan to quickly move ahead with discovery and depositions to hold Lennar accountable for the defective homes.”
The tribe’s complaint seeks hundreds of millions of dollars to compensate for the defective homes. It was filed by attorneys at Conrad & Scherer of Fort Lauderdale, the same law firm that won a record judgment of more than $800 million for the Tribe in its lawsuit against Wells Fargo Bank for mismanagement of a trust fund for Seminole Tribe children last year.
Rafael Olmeda can be reached at rolmeda@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4457.



