A federal appeals court in Colorado ruled Tuesday that a local police department does not have to compensate a homeowner whose house was destroyed by 19 hours of gunfire between officers and an armed shoplifting suspect who had chosen to barricade himself inside to evade arrest.
Judges on the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit upheld a lower court’s decision, ruling that the city of Greenwood Village, near Denver, did not owe homeowner Leo Lech any additional compensation, even though the suspect was a stranger to the homeowner, the Denver Post reported.
Lech’s home, valued at $580,000, was marked for demolition in 2015 after a SWAT team used armored vehicles to breach the structure, deployed tear gas and explosives and shot 40 mm rounds in an effort to drive the suspect out after he refused to surrender and shot at officers, the Post reported.
...home insurance company paid him $345,000 for the damage but that amount did not come close to covering additional costs related to personal property damage, demolishing and rebuilding the home and taking out a new mortgage on the new house.
Colorado homeowner owed nothing after police SWAT shootout destroys his house, federal court rules
Very odd and unfortunate case.
The suspect was armed, but was a shoplifter. Not some mass murderer/tried to kill an elected official.
I understand SWAT/LEO simply can't give up if a criminal runs into a house, his or others, but they certainly did some damage to that owners hose.
I assume some questions have to be asked to the policy he had with his homeowners insurance and value of his home on his policy.
Still, that would blow to see you house condemned cause some POS ran in and the LEO tore it down to get him. After that, be told, "sucks for you".
Question to SVTP, do you agree with the ruling? Is this purely an insurance issue or does the local/state bare some responsibility financially in these rare cases?
Seems like their neighbor got the shaft too from insurance and local, too.
EDIT: More info has been posted since the OP
Judges on the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit upheld a lower court’s decision, ruling that the city of Greenwood Village, near Denver, did not owe homeowner Leo Lech any additional compensation, even though the suspect was a stranger to the homeowner, the Denver Post reported.
Lech’s home, valued at $580,000, was marked for demolition in 2015 after a SWAT team used armored vehicles to breach the structure, deployed tear gas and explosives and shot 40 mm rounds in an effort to drive the suspect out after he refused to surrender and shot at officers, the Post reported.
...home insurance company paid him $345,000 for the damage but that amount did not come close to covering additional costs related to personal property damage, demolishing and rebuilding the home and taking out a new mortgage on the new house.
Colorado homeowner owed nothing after police SWAT shootout destroys his house, federal court rules
Very odd and unfortunate case.
The suspect was armed, but was a shoplifter. Not some mass murderer/tried to kill an elected official.
I understand SWAT/LEO simply can't give up if a criminal runs into a house, his or others, but they certainly did some damage to that owners hose.
I assume some questions have to be asked to the policy he had with his homeowners insurance and value of his home on his policy.
Still, that would blow to see you house condemned cause some POS ran in and the LEO tore it down to get him. After that, be told, "sucks for you".
Question to SVTP, do you agree with the ruling? Is this purely an insurance issue or does the local/state bare some responsibility financially in these rare cases?
Seems like their neighbor got the shaft too from insurance and local, too.
EDIT: More info has been posted since the OP
Maybe some actual facts would help rather than what the media is telling people to think?
https://greenwoodvillage.com/Docume...ease---City-Response-to-Leo-Lech-Ruling-Final
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