Sewer
lawyer responds to mayor's criticism
By James Rada Jr.
News Editor
THURMONT,
Md. – The families who won a $3.5-million award in May
against the town of Thurmont because the town’s sewer
system backed up into their homes are not responsible for the
drastic increases in the town’s water and sewer rates,
according to one of the families’ lawyers.
John Coppock
wrote in a letter about Mayor Martin Burns comments on the
case that, “the Mayor has attempted to shift blame and
portray the Plaintiffs as opportunists who exaggerated their
claims and took something from the Town. The Mayor suggested
that the Plaintiffs’ damages were minimal and that they,
the Plaintiffs, are to blame for upcoming increased tax rates
and hardships in the Town’s immediate future.”
Coppock said
that the town has known since 1974 that the sewer system needed
repairs to avoid sewage back-ups.
“Rather
than accept responsibility for the condition of the system
and the decades long history of negligence and mismanagement,
the Mayor has decided to attempt to gain the favor of his
constituency by making these ravaged homeowners look like
predators,” Coppock wrote.
Burns said he
stands by any comments he has made concerning the case. “Except
for that incident, for 30 years we haven’t had a sewage
back up in people’s homes,” Burns said.
Coppock said
the sewage back-ups “dramatically impacted” the
value of the homes in and around Ironmaster Court because
any potential buyers would have to be told that houses had
suffered sewage damage. Because of this, the plaintiffs deserved
to be awarded 1.5 times the value of their homes.
“The Mayor's
expression of dismay over the size of the jury award against
the Town of Thurmont is incomprehensible when one has a complete
grasp of what the Mayor knew, or should have known, and how
long he knew or should have known it. Making comments that
place the Plaintiff's in a negative light by selectively addressing
the issue of damages is extremely unfair and self-serving,”
Coppock wrote.
Burns said that
the town tried to sit down with the families after the back-up
to try and reach an agreement on what needed to be done to
repair the homes and reimburse the families for their inconvenience.
He said the families rejected the offer and were determined
to sue the town.
“They wanted
to go for as much was they could get,” Burns said. “This
is revenge.”
“These
families did nothing wrong. When they bought their homes in
Thurmont they did not know that this problem has been quietly
passed on from Mayor to Mayor and Commissioner to Commissioner,
for thirty years. They simply bought a home in a quiet community
to live out the ‘American Dream’ of homeownership.
Little did they know that when the system failed them and
their homes were full of raw sewage that a Mayor would emerge
that would point the finger at them instead of assuming the
responsibility and leadership that the position requires,”
Coppock wrote.
Burns the families’
actions have led to the increase in sewer and water rates
and that the town was going to do everything possible to get
that money back. They have already appealed the court verdict.
