Law Times

Page 16 OctOber 27, 2014 • Law Times www.lawtimesnews.com u Bizarre Briefs By Viola James u The InsIde story MILLION-DOLLAR HOME BUILT ON WRONG LOT DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — How do you build an expensive home on the wrong lot? It's easier to do than you'd think, a Florida case has shown. A Florida builder is trying to figure out what to do after constructing a million-dollar, ocean-view home in Florida on the wrong lot, authorities said. The mistake occurred after two state-certi- fied surveyors on the job separately marked the wrong property, said Carl Laundrie, spokesman for Flagler County on the Atlantic coast north of Daytona Beach. Laundrie said there were few landmarks in the new Hammock Dunes subdivision that could have helped someone catch the error. "There is no giant oak tree on one corner of the lot so you would say, OK, this must be the lot. This particular piece of land is basically in a field back behind the dune," said Laundrie. The 492-square-metre house completed in March includes five bedrooms, 5-1/2 bath- rooms, a theatre, a game room, and a swim- ming pool, according to gotoby.com, a local real estate news site. According to Reuters, Mark and Brenda Voss of Linn, Mo., had the home built and own the lot next to it. Andrew Massaro and Brooke Triplett of Ocean Isle Beach, N.C., own the lot where the house now stands. The builder is Robbie Richmond of Keystone Homes, whom the real estate web site described as one of the area's most respected builders. Flagler County property appraiser Jay Gard- ner said a third surveyor working in the neigh- bourhood discovered the mistake in September. "All he wants to do is get it right," said Gard- ner of Richmond. Legal action, of course, looms. "It's up to the builder to rectify the situation, and the builder relied on the surveyor. I assume every- thing is going to be headed to court," said Laundrie. Gardner said he hadn't spoken to the Vosses but noted Massaro was calm when informed of the problem. "He wasn't tickled but he seemed to handle it quite well," said Gardner. "It happens from time to time." CHIMNEY A BIZARRE WAY TO ENTER A HOUSE LOS ANGELES — Santa may want to watch out given this woman's story of getting stuck in a chimney. In this case, firefighters used dish soap to help rescue a California woman who tried to sneak into a house through the chimney, au- thorities said. Local media reports say the woman, identi- fied by police as Genoveva Nunez-Figueroa, 30, tried to enter the Los Angeles-area house of a man who said he met her online and that when she got stuck she started screaming for help. Firefighters who arrived found her about two metres down the chimney. They then took it apart brick by brick down to the roof line, Ventura County fire department spokesman Bill Nash said. "She's stuck in there and obviously she doesn't need bricks falling down on her on top of that," said Nash. The team of about 10 firefighters spent two hours extracting the woman, pulling her out with straps after lubricating the chimney's in- terior with dish soap, said Nash. Police later arrested Nunez-Figueroa for il- legal entry and providing false information to a police officer, said Ventura County sheriff 's of- fice spokesman Capt. Don Aguilar. A man who lived in the house in Thousand Oaks, west of Los Angeles, and who gave his name only as Lawrence, told local television sta- tion KCBS that he had met the woman online and that it wasn't the first time she had tried to enter his home. Aguilar said he could not say why Nunez- Figueroa was trying to enter the house. LT By Glenn Kauth The title insurer that puts you front row, centre Putting the legal community front and centre has made us the #1 choice with Canadian lawyers for over a decade. Stewart Title does not support programs that reduce or eliminate the lawyer's role in real estate transactions. For more information call (888) 667-5151 or visit www.stewart.ca. Untitled-2 1 7/19/11 12:31:45 PM BENCHER ELECTION NOMINATIONS OPEN Nominations are officially open for the Law Society of Upper Canada's 2015 bencher elections. To qualify as candidates, law- yers wanting to run in the April 30 election must not have held the office of elected bencher for 12 or more years on June 1, 2015; have a home or business address within Ontario on the records of the law society; and not be under suspension at the time of signing the nomination form. Nomination forms are due by Feb. 13, 2015, at 5 p.m. LISA MUNRO NAMED BUSINESS 'TRAILBLAZER' Lerners LLP's Toronto office co- managing partner Lisa Munro has won Profiles in Diversity Jour- nal 's Women Worth Watching award, the law firm announced. The publication named Munro one of 160 "executive trailblazers" as part of its awards celebrating the accomplishments of women in business. "Nominated by her colleagues for her outstanding passion and inf luence, Munro has played a critical role at Lerners, both in and outside of the workplace," Lerners said in a press release. "Creating a work environ- ment that not only fosters reten- tion but also encourages loyalty, Munro is a strong force at Lern- ers. As a member of the executive committee, her contributions on matters such as strategic plan- ning, succession, and fostering the development of young talent have had a positive effect on both Le- rners' financial performance and culture." POLL RESULTS The results of the latest Law Times poll are in. According to the poll, 88 per cent of respondents say they dis- agree with the Canadian Bar Association's initial decision to intervene in the Chevron Corp. matter at the Supreme Court of Canada. The CBA pulled the plug on its intervention just a day before the deadline for its factum amid controversy over its decision to intervene in the case. The CBA maintained it would be a neutral intervener in the oil company's dispute with indigenous Ecua- dorans who are trying to enforce a local judgment for $19.5 billion against Chevron in Ontario. But some members of the bar threatened to withdraw their CBA memberships over the issue, argu- ing the case wasn't an appropriate one for the organization to inter- vene in. Other lawyers have noted there are important corporate law principles at stake in the Chevron case. In the end, the CBA said its own legislation and law reform committee had concluded the case didn't meet the specific require- ments of its intervention policy. LT WALK OF FAME HONOURS LOUISE ARBOUR Renowned former Supreme Court of Canada justice Louise Arbour was one of six Canadians inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame recently. Arbour, who recently became a ju- rist in residence at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, sat on the top court from 1999 to 2004. She also held various posi- tions at the United Nations, including a high-profile role as high commissioner for human rights. Arbour currently sits on several Canadian and international advisory committees. Having her name on Canada's Walk of Fame along with actress Rachel McAd- ams is a different type of honour for Arbour, who has received 40 honor- ary doctorates from Canadian universities and has been a companion of the Order of Canada since 2007. "We are proud to welcome these six new outstanding honourees to Canada's Walk of Fame," said Melanie Hurley, chief executive officer of Canada's Walk of Fame. "Each have impacted Canada's social and cultural heritage across the country and around the world. They are inspiring and remind us that anything can be achieved with hard work." Louise Arbour

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