Buckled siding, missing insulation, mold and an unfinished
primary bedroom ceiling are among 47 issues found by engineers,
contractors and Sarandon's staff, according to a lawsuit filed
against DeGrenier Contracting and Property Management on
Thursday in the federal court in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Sarandon, 76, built the environmentally sustainable home on 45
wooded and meadowed acres in Stamford, Vermont, located near the
Massachusetts border, that she bought in 2018 through the
limited liability company The Right to Bear Farms, which filed
the lawsuit.
Known for her political activism, Sarandon said she had a "clear
vision" for a home that would be "entirely off-the-grid," with
solar power, well water and geothermal energy, "in light of
increasing global environmental instability."
But she said the Clarksburg, Massachusetts-based construction
management firm's owner misrepresented his qualifications,
inflated invoices, charged for construction he never did, and
did essentially nothing to justify being paid nearly $140,000 to
act as the property's caretaker under an agreement struck after
the house was built.
The firm's owner declined to comment. The lawsuit seeks
unspecified damages based on claims of breach of contract,
unjust enrichment and fraudulent misrepresentation.
Sarandon won the best actress Oscar for the 1995 movie "Dead Man
Walking." She stars as the main villain in the superhero film
"Blue Beetle," which hit theaters on Friday.
(Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
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