Water damage at Pass Security leads to suit

The owner of a Fairview Heights corporation alleges it sustained significant water damages to its property after a back flow prevention assembly failed.

Fountain Court Builders, the Hinrichs Group doing business as Impact Strategies and Pass doing business as Pass Security filed a lawsuit Oct. 18 in St. Clair County Circuit Court against Ames Fire and Waterworks and Essenpreis Plumbing and Heating.

In its complaint, the plaintiffs allege a back-flow prevention assembly at their property at 340 Office Court in Fairview Heights failed on Aug. 6, 2011, causing extensive water damage to their property and the contents inside.

“Plaintiffs sustained significant damage to the subject property, in excess of $50,000, as a direct and proximate result of the defective and unreasonably dangerous subject back flow assembly,” the suit states.

Ames, which manufactured and sold the back flow prevention assembly, distributed the product in a defective manner, the complaint says.

The plaintiffs also blame Essenpreis, which inspected the piece, for causing their damages, saying it negligently failed to perform a professional inspection, failed to inform the defendants of the defective piece, failed to replace the back-flow assembly and certified use of the piece at the property.

In its six-count complaint, the plaintiffs are seeking a judgment of more than $300,000, plus costs, pre- and post-judgment interest, attorney’s fees and other relief the court deems just.

Matt R. Leffler of Evans and Dixon in St. Louis will be representing them.

St. Clair County Circuit Court case number: 12-L-555.