A.A. from Illinois writes:
Dear Mister Condo,
I have water damage in my unit and it affected more 4 units. Can other units sue me for damage?
Mister Condo replies:
A.A., in our litigious world, anyone can sue anyone for just about anything. You certainly might be sued if the other unit owners can claim that their damage was caused by you intentionally or from severe neglect. If you intentionally ran your bath tub until it overflowed and created the problem, you might be found liable. Similarly, if you had a 25 year-old water supply hose rupture, it could be argued that you should have replaced the hose 20 years ago or whatever the manufacturer’s suggested life for the product was. Do you have homeowner’s insurance? Typically, you are covered for damage within your own home. You may also be covered to some extent for damage outside your home as long as it can be classified as accidental and not neglectful. It is also possible that the association has some insurance for damage caused to other units from a neighboring unit. The bottom line is that you will need to see how the dust settles on this disaster. If you do get sued, hire an attorney who will get to the bottom of who’s insurance should cover which damage. My guess is you will make out fine. Good luck!