A major Central Texas construction firm is facing a soggy legal battle after a plumbing failure allegedly caused millions in damage at an Austin apartment complex.
Bartlett Cocke General Contractors, a San Antonio-based builder with a long résumé of public and private projects, was named in a $10 million lawsuit filed by Greystar, the nation’s largest apartment developer, according to state court records, the San Antonio Business Journal reported. The complaint centers on Urban East Apartments, a 381-unit complex at 6400 East Riverside Drive in the Montopolis neighborhood.
Greystar alleges a hot water pipe failure triggered “catastrophic damage” throughout the building after the system was improperly installed. The Charleston, South Carolina-based multifamily giant claims the fault lies with Bartlett Cocke and its subcontractors, pointing to inadequate oversight and construction errors.
According to the lawsuit, plumbers failed to install a thermostatic mixing valve in one of the buildings’ hot water systems, a device designed to limit water temperature. When the boilers were turned on in December 2023, the water temperature allegedly surged to the system’s maximum of 180 degrees, Bisnow reported. The heat caused a PVC pipe on the fourth floor to separate from the system, unleashing water that damaged multiple parts of the property.
Greystar is seeking damages for negligence from Bartlett Cocke as well as several subcontractors, including Liberty Hill-based Basey Plumbing, Houston-based FCS Mechanical, plumber Enrique Corona Ramirez and Austin-based Nichols Engineering. The complaint alleges each defendant bears responsibility through improper installation, failure to review system design or failure to reduce water temperatures.
Three insurers — Allianz Underwriters, Steadfast Insurance Company and Starr Surplus Lines Insurance Company — have also joined the case in an effort to recoup insurance payouts tied to the damage.
The lawsuit was filed Jan. 16 in the 126th District Civil Court of Travis County under Judge Aurora Martinez Jones and was transferred to Texas’ Business Court on Jan. 27 at Bartlett Cocke’s request.
Construction on the project began in 2022, and the pipe failure occurred roughly a year later, the suit states. Greystar’s attorneys allege Bartlett Cocke’s “negligent undertaking” was a substantial factor in the failure and the resulting damage.
Bartlett Cocke, Greystar and their attorneys did not respond to requests for comment.
— Eric Weilbacher
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