And They Built A Crooked House, by Ruth S.
Martin
About the Names
Because we went to trial almost everything described in this book is a matter of public record. But is it fair to name everyone involved? We consulted over a dozen experts in several fields before the case was over. No one knew there would be a book about this case because we didn't know ourselves. These professionals tried their best to help us and for that we are grateful. They did not ask for publicity and to name them in this book would serve no useful purpose.
But what about the defendants? They chose to go to trial rather than fix our house; they never gave us any realistic option. Anyone could have walked into the courtroom at any time and heard the story as it unfolded. The result of the trial is not only a matter of public record, it has been reported in the newspapers.
However, there is no compelling reason to name the actual people involved, or to risk embarrassing innocent families. The men who desecrated our house operate in one small area of one county of this huge country. This book is really for homeowners and homebuyers everywhere because the problem we experienced defective residential construction happens all over. Who the players were in our particular case is not nearly so important as understanding how this nightmare can happen and how to prevent it.
It is with this reasoning that I have changed everyone's name in the case except mine and my husband's the plaintiffs. Fictitious names have been chosen (next page) for their commonality and our complete ignorance of anyone with a similar name in the profession described. Any similarity of name to real people in these professions is purely a coincidence.