May 27, 2015 AsktheBuilder Newsletter

I'm back from Antigua. I was there as an expert witness in a high-profile case concerning construction defects at the home of the Brazilian Ambassador.

Here are my observations about Antigua after visiting it twice - I was there three years ago for the initial inspection of the property to see all the defects:

It's a third-world country
It's dangerous
Daily power outages can be counted on
If you have water coming to your home from the municipal system, you don't dare put it inside your body unless you like to drink orange water
It's BLAZING HOT in the daytime sun
Piracy is still thriving in the Caribbean

So ask me if I had a good time?

The bottom line is I never made it into the courtroom.

I was working for the owner of the home of the Brazilian Ambassador. They held back the last payment of the home because of serious defects. The builder was suing the owner for non-payment.

The builder's attorney filed a bunch of motions the first day of the trial to get three of the four top witnesses for the homeowner thrown out. I was one of the three.

The judge kicked two of them out and limited my testimony to only one SMALL aspect of the defects.

The reason was, "Mr. Carter can't show he has any formal training on roof construction so he's not an expert."

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

My CV clearly listed me as a Master Roof Cutter, Master Builder and Roofer. I've built more roofs than the judge has probably read law books cover to cover.

The home owners fired their attorney and the next morning hired an aggressive one that immediately filed an appeal.

We shall see what happens.

On a positive note, I did make three new friends, Keri, her able fisherman husband Tyler, and Vivyan from Toronto.

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