Jury Faults Bridge Builder in St. Louis-Area Flood

A St. Louis County jury has awarded nearly $2 million to 11 homeowners who sued over a temporary stone bridge they blame for flooding their properties two years ago during a torrential rainstorm.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that jurors returned the verdict favoring the Ladue property owners last week after a two-week trial. The jury awarded a total of $318,000 in actual damages, as well as $150,000 in punitive damages to each plaintiff.

The lawsuit claimed that the bridge built by a group of contractors across Deer Creek acted like a dam, causing the flooding.

An attorney for the contractors says the verdict will be appealed, arguing the flood was a natural disaster resulting from a remnant of Hurricane Ike that pummeled the area.

The bridge has been removed.

Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch