BLACK HAWK, S.D. —Residents of a subdivision in Blackhawk who have been forced out of their homes due to sinkholes have filed a lawsuit against Meade County, the state of South Dakota and developers of the Hideaway Hills subdivision.
The sinkholes exposed an old underground gypsum mine that residents say the county knew about when the subdivision was built.
They are suing for more than $75-million in total damages.
The lawsuit on behalf of 119 homeowners in the subdivision also includes counts against title companies involved in sales of the homes, attorneys for previous owners, and real estate agents who sold the homes. It seeks more than $35,000,000 in compensatory damages, $40,000,000 in exemplary damages, and “such other relief as the court deems equitable.”
The plaintiffs are asking for a jury trial.
The suit includes 14 specific counts against the various defendants, including: Negligence; Breach of Warranty of Title; Willful or Wanton Misconduct; Failure To Warn By A Licensed Realtors; Failure to Warn by a Licensed Attorney; Breach of Warranty Of A Professional License to Practice Law; Failure of Professional Engineering Companies to Warn Purchaser Residents of the Risk of Human Safety and Occupation; Breach of Warranty By A Professional Civil Engineering Company; Failure of Meade County Governmental Authority to Provide Express Warnings of the Hazards of Habitability of Homes in the Hideaway Hills Subdivision; and Breach of Governmental Warranty.
