A Corona del Mar couple whose home was left uninhabitable twice due to catastrophic flooding caused by two water main breaks filed suit against the City of Newport Beach claiming the city knew of the risks and dangers but failed to take any corrective action to prevent a water main break from occurring.
The water main — owned, operated, and maintained by the City of Newport Beach — first failed in October 2020 and resulted in more than 500,000 gallons of water flooding into the plaintiffs’ home. The damage to the home was extensive, requiring a complete teardown and rebuild. Following a two-year relocation, the couple were preparing to move back into their home in November 2022 when the same water main broke and flooded their home a second time. Construction on the second rebuild of the home was completed in 2024, but the couple were fearful to move into their home as the city had taken no action to prevent similar incidents from occurring, putting all who enter or reside in the residence at risk.
Brian Panish, Jesse Creed, and Hunter Norton represented the couple in their case against the City of Newport Beach and brought claims for negligence, nuisance, and inverse condemnation, amongst others.
Plaintiffs deposed multiple key personnel from the city, including the Mayor of the City of Newport Beach, and following protracted litigation, the case settled against the city for $23,000,000.