Chronology of Case

   Basically this is just a continuation of the background story. Just a step by step account of the process that we have had to go through up to date. If you have any intentions of pursuing legal action against Pulte, maybe this will give you some insight of their strategy. This is the path they went with us. I do not know if it is their regular pattern of not though.

1. Informed in July of 1998 that no more warranty work would be performed
2. Hired an attorney and filed lawsuit October 5, 1998
3. October 10, 1999. Pulte Requests 30 day leave to answer complaint and turn-over discovery information
4. November of 1998, we sent Pulte "Request for Admissions"
5. December 8, 1999, received request from Pulte for additional time to complete "Request for Admissions"
6. December 16, 1998, Pulte answers lawsuit
7. January 6, 1999. We request available dates for depositions between 2-24-99 to 3-10-99.
8. Receive request from Pulte to extend time for plea (admissions) to 1-13-99
9. Pretrial with judge on 1-13-99. Receive admissions from Pulte
10. 2-2-99, finally receive documents for discovery from Pulte
11. February 23,1999, Pulte submits a request for Interrogatories from Us
12. 3-2-99, Hire our Architect
13. Deposition of Joe Murphy (Pulte Homes project manager). Incomplete depo due to Pulte not producing documents required. Summary of depo, Joe does not remember
14. 3-9-99, turn over our answers to Pulte's Interrogatories
15. 3-20-99. House inspected by architect
16. 4-7-99, received report from architect
17. Late May, 1999, Receive Motion for Summary Judgement (requests that case be dismissed) from Pulte Homes
18. 6-2-99, We file request for extension of time in order to prepare expert reports. July 5, 1999 becomes new deadline for expert reports
19. 6-24-99, File brief in opposition to Motion for Summary Judgement.
20. 6-30-99, receive request from Pulte Homes for time extension to file their expert report
21. 7-1-99, receive second set of interrogatories form Pulte Homes. Pulte also requests inspection of our home and demands more time to file their expert report
22. We send out our expert reports, architect and appraiser
23. 7-13-99 Set dates for trial should be last week of November or first week of December 1999
24. 7-16-99 Court grants Pulte until 9-10-99 to submit expert report
25. 8-3-99 Court resets trial date to 1-18-2000
26. 8-19-99, Judge rules against Pulte's Motion for Summary Judgement and rules in favor of plaintiffs (us)
27. On or about 9-1-99, Pulte requests a demand for settlement
28. 9-17-99, we send our settlement demands to Pulte Homes. (Our lawyer errs in communication with us and sends incorrect figures to Pulte.)
29. 9-20-99 Pretrial hearing
30. 9-25-99, Pulte Homes sends "expert" witness, an aprraiser, to inspect our home. No architect, no engineer inspects the house
31. 10-29-99 Pulte requests more time to file expert report
32. 11-15-99, Pulte requests until 11-19-99 to file expert report
33. 11-22-99 received Pulte expert appraisal report.
34. 11-9-99 We request Pulte to respond to our settlement offer that they requested from us 9-1-99
35. 11-11-99, Pulte requests that we enter into mediation to settle case
36. 11-16-99 We deny request to enter into mediation. Ask again for them to answer our settlement request
37. 11-24-99 Pulte files Motion to Compel Mediation with the court
38. 11-29-99 We file brief against Mediation
39. 12-10-99 Receive settlement offer from Pulte. Unacceptable offer. We reject offer and send reply as such on 12-13-99
40. 12-21-99, Pulte Deposes our Architect and Appraiser
41. 12-28-99, Wife and myself are deposed by Pulte attorneys
42. 1-4-2000, Settlement meeting at Judge Burnside's chambers. At this meeting, the judge states that she does not like the measure of damages that we are using in our case. She states that she wants a more definate dollar amount. There was no real settlement talks.

   There is more information available. It is just that I currently do not have the paperwork at home. All my court papers are with my attorney and I do not want to post incorrect dates and data. When I get the rest of my documentation home, I will post the rest of the story. Stay tuned.