From the North County Times online:
“The bankruptcy of a major regional homebuilder has left two large tracts in Southwest Riverside County with hundreds of empty lots, prompted a lender to foreclose on one and a homeowners association to demand $2 million in compensation.
John Laing Homes, of Irvine, built a links-style golf course near Lake Elsinore’s baseball stadium and said as recently as March 2008 that it planned 1,500 homes at the neighboring Summerly development. Laing also built several dozen houses at the Holiday senior community in Menifee, with plans to extend the development to nearly 200 homes.
But construction has remained stalled amid weak real estate markets.
The builder filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition in February, seeking temporary relief from debt estimated between $500 million and $1 billion. The Delaware judge handling the case ordered the company liquidated in early June after concluding that the company lacked the assets to cover that debt and re-emerge successfully, according to court records. Messages left with the trustee were not returned.
A lender appears to be foreclosing on parts of the Summerly development. Lawns at a half-dozen model homes are overgrown with weeds, and notices recently posted on the houses indicate a foreclosure auction is scheduled in mid-July, a neighbor said.
Residents of the Holiday development and the 4S Ranch development in San Diego’s Ranch Bernardo neighborhood have filed claims against the builder’s bankruptcy estate.”
For more bankruptcy news, visit Curtis Law Group
