According to the Detroit Free Press, water leaks in Detroit's iconic 1300 Lafayette East building have embroiled a Wayne County judge and her husband in an insurance dispute with no end in sight. Circuit Court Judge Cynthia Hathaway and husband, DeWayne Hayes, own the largest residence in the 30-story building, a three-unit condo on the top floor that was combined into one residence. The high-rise was built in 1964 and Diana Ross was a former resident. Roof leaks and burst pipes have forced the judge to move out and caused $400,000 in damage. So far, nobody is paying to fix things including the insurance company and the condo board.
"They're not offering one penny for anything," the judge said of the co-op board. “We don’t know why they are taking that position. You ask them." She added, “The day that this damage was done a year ago, two or three of the board members came up and saw it, so they know what condition we’re in."
A lawyer for the co-op board says the judge, as well as the four other residents suing them and the building's now-former management firm, are exaggerating the extent of their damages and also are responsible for those damages because they forced a stop to previously planned roof repairs.
“They caused the damages," said attorney Anthony Monticciolo of Garan Lucow Miller, who represents the co-op board and the management firm, Professional Property Services.
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