Bay Area Contractor Loses License Nearly 2 Years After Berkeley Balcony Collapse
California has revoked the license of a Bay Area contractor involved in the collapse of a balcony at 2020 Kittredge St. in Berkeley. The state said on Friday Segue Construction of Pleasanton willfully ignored building plans when it built the balcony, the East Bay Times reports. Six people died and seven people were hurt when it collapsed in 2015.
The contractor has been accused of using weaker and cheaper materials than what was specified in the plans. These materials became waterlogged since the subcontractor did not install a membrane to keep out moisture. The apartment complex was built between 2005 and 2007.
As part of a settlement with the California State Contractor’s Licensing Board, two Segue officials will pay $100K toward reimbursement of investigation costs, must wait five years to reapply for a new license and pay a disciplinary bond of $15K to $150K if they apply for a new license.
The contractor previously agreed to pay $6.5M to settle two lawsuits alleging the decks rotted prematurely. The Alameda County District Attorney’s office did not file criminal charges related to the deaths.
