(WBIR- West Knox County) A dozen homeowners in West Knox County filed a lawsuit against their developer in August.
PREVIOUS STORY: Hardin Valley homeowners sue developers over possible sinkhole
There were concerns about a possible sinkhole in their upscale neighborhood and they wanted answers.
The Glen at Hardin Valley features brick homes valued at roughly a half million dollars and many people who live there said they would not have purchased their homes had they known they were built near a possible sinkhole, which is currently a pond under construction.
Many believed their developer, Ben Testerman Construction Company, knew about it and didn't tell them.
So the homeowners came together and filed a public records request to begin building a case against him. They also paid out of pocket for an engineering firm to drill last month to find out if there was possible danger.
They recently received the results.
"Thankfully that testing has shown this sinkhole to be of low risk to the surrounding homes which is very good news for us," said Jeff Gilbert, homeowner.
The homeowner's attorney, Michael Kelley, said the evaluation was done by Dennis Huckaba. He released this statement to WBIR 10News:
"Mr. Huckaba has not issued a written report to us yet. But Mr. Huckaba, who is an engineering expert specializing in geotechnical tests and investigations, has performed a number of core borings in the area of the upper detention pond, and based upon his tests, he's concluded that the sinkhole in the detention pond does not indicate an elevated risk for the surrounding homes as compared to other homes in the area."
The homeowners agree this is good news but said the lawsuit is nowhere near over. There are still signs in more than a dozen front yards that read, "For Sale by Owner: Lawsuit Pending".
Kelley said the lawsuit started with about a dozen people. That number has now increased to 41.
"We have been very frustrated with almost all of our interactions with the developer and these ongoing issues that are raised in the lawsuit. The lawsuit continues are we expect this to be a lengthy process," Gilbert said.
10News did reach out to Ben Testerman Construction for comment, but did not receive a comment.
According to the lawsuit, there were 27 different complaints filed. Kelley told us he will appear in court for a hearing on Wednesday in regards to this lawsuit.
