Should I sue these people for this?

Question

Okay so I was hanging out with my friends one day in my room when we heard a huge crash. It came from the living room. When we went downstairs we saw that the living room ceiling fan had completly disconnected from the top of the ceiling and landed on my moms expensive table. The table barely had any scratches on it because the centerpiece on it took most of the hit. 

So getting into more detail the ceiling fan fell from two stories because our house is designed that the 2nd storie overlooks the living room. The fan is damaged beyond repair and no one got hurt. So I was just wondering can we sue the builders of the house for not puting on the fan right? And how much could we get if we do? Also the house only 3 years old and the fan has never been messed with or knocked loose. The only time that we have ever touched it was to change the lightbulb and even so that only took 5 minutes to do. Can you please help me my mom doesn't know what to do right now and we don't know how much this will set us back. Even though it won't, but still someone couldve gotten hurt or killed.

Morgan R · Answer

You left out important details. Did you get photos? Has it all been repaired?  And what state are you in?  State laws vary on the statute of limitations , and some states have longer terms for building workmanship based on the fair assumption that bulildings built to last 30 to 50 years should have alonger statute for tort protection. ( see the florida drywall disaster, most o fthat was over 2 years ago)

You need an expert contractor to come look at the damage, the fan the cieiling structure and provide you with a professional opinion in writing as to the cause of thefailure. After you get that , you contact the builder and see if he wants to do the right thing.  If he doesn't then you see an attorney that handles cases in the construction area.  
Time is NOT on your side though.  You need to get this done within the week.

gw_bushisamoron · Answer

You have no case.
Luckily nobody was injured, and there was only minimal properrty damage.  The fact that "someone couldve been hurt" is meaningless under the law.
Don't know what you mean by "how much this will set us back".  You can pay any lawyer what you want, but they will tell you the same thing - no damages = no case.

Jake · Answer

it depends, how long ago was the fan installed. if it was installed recently i think that you should contact them and ask for a replacement, or ask for compensation. if it was done weeks or months or years ago your out of luck. anytime over a month since the fan is installed i think is not fair to sue. by the sounds of it, if u have had to change the light bulb youve had it awhile and i think that you should shrug it off and move on

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Should I sue these people for this?

3 Answers