Waukesha Horizon West condo lawsuit, $17M sought after collapse threat
Waukesha Horizon West condo lawsuit, $17M sought after collapse threat
Many of Waukesha's Horizon West evacuees are still paying their mortgages, condo fees and could be on the hook for upwards of $40,000 dollars to have the building razed. A $17 million lawsuit claims Travelers Insurance insists the building can still be repaired despite engineers saying it needs to be torn down.
WAUKESHA, Wis. - Waukesha Horizon West condo owners who had to be evacuated from their building after a threat of collapse are now suing the building's insurer.
The 27 homeowners have brought a $17 million lawsuit against Travelers Insurance for failing to pay claims.
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They were evacuated from the Horizon West building in December. They say Travelers hasn't denied or accepted their claims, and they're in limbo.
For the past four months, the financial struggles of Beth and Scott Hastreiter have been mounting.
"There are days you just want to sit down and burst into tears, really, because you just don’t know what’s going to happen to you," said Beth Hastreiter.
The husband and wife were evacuated from their Horizon West condo in December after engineers said the structure was in danger of collapsing. Like many in the building, they thought their personal homeowner's insurance would help but were denied coverage because the building is still standing.
When they turned to the building's insurer, their claim wasn't accepted or denied.
"You think that you bought insurance, and that you did the responsible thing and that you have what you need to be safe when a calamity befalls you, and to find out that you’re not is astounding," said Beth Hastreiter.
The Hastreiters joined 26 others, bringing a lawsuit against Travelers Insurance, suing for $17 million.
"I believe we’re due some sort of compensation from the insurance company," said Tonya Nieskes.
Nieskes lived in the building for 12 years. She's since moved to North Carolina.
"It would be nice if the insurance companies had to pay out for once on something that they promised," said Nieskes.
The lawsuit claims Travelers Insurance insists the building can still be repaired despite engineers saying it needs to be razed.
Those who lived there are trying to move on, looking for the lawsuit to help.
"I’m just hoping to put all that behind us and get back to having a normal life," said Scott Hastreiter.
FOX6 News reached out to Travelers Insurance, and we were told they will not comment on pending litigation.
Many of the people at Horizon West are still paying their mortgages, condo fees and could be on the hook for upwards of $40,000 dollars to have the building razed.
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