Vegas homes join defect suit

More than 1,500 homes have been added to a construction defect lawsuit against the builder of a large southern Nevada master-planned community.

Sun City Summerlin homeowners and nine homeowners associations claim in the amended complaint filed late last month in Clark County District Court that Del Webb Communities failed to install metal strips to protect homes against water damage.

Pulte Homes Inc., now the parent company of Del Webb in Las Vegas, has issued a statement saying the company stands behind its homes and works with homeowners to resolve construction issues.

Plaintiffs’ attorney Barry Mitidiere said he was seeking class-action certification to apply the case to up to 7,800 homes in the 35-square-mile Sun City Summerlin development in northwest Las Vegas. The lawsuit alleges that the builder failed to install weep screeds -- galvanized metal strips designed to prevent water from damaging the base of a stucco wall.