Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

HARTFORD A contractor who accidentally caused a fire at a Stamford home that killed three girls and two of their grandparents on Christmas morning in 2011 has agreed to settle part of a wrongful death lawsuit by paying the children's father $5 million.

Court records obtained by The Associated Press show that the contractor, Michael Borcina, and his company settled Matthew Badger's lawsuit at Superior Court in Hartford on Dec. 10. Badger's lawyer confirmed the settlement amount Tuesday.

The fire in Stamford killed 7-year-old twins Grace and Sarah Badger, 9-year-old Lily Badger, and their maternal grandparents, Lomer and Pauline Johnson. The girls' mother, Madonna Badger, and Borcina were dating at the time and escaped the fire.

Authorities said the fire began after Borcina left a bag of fireplace ashes in a bin in a mudroom in the house. Borcina, who was renovating the $1.7 million Victorian home, was accused in the lawsuit of contributing with other defendants to make the house a "firetrap," including failing to install a smoke detection system during the construction.

A lawyer for Borcina didn't return a message Tuesday. A phone listing for Borcina could not be found. Matthew Badger and Madonna Badger did not return messages seeking comment Tuesday.

Richard Emery, a New York lawyer representing Matthew Badger, said that the $5 million settlement is the first in the lawsuit, which remains pending against several other defendants.

"It is nowhere near reflective of the ultimate value of this case: three little girls' lives," Emery said. "No money could compensate for that."

Matthew Badger filed the lawsuit in July 2012 against Borcina, his company Tiberias Construction of New York City, the city of Stamford and others. Claims against the city and other defendants remain unresolved.

"The girls died before they could escape the home, which had become a firetrap as a result of months of substandard construction leading up to the fire," according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit also says that city officials knew or should have known that Borcina served as the home's general contractor but didn't have a state home improvement contractor's license. Stamford officials previously denied any wrongdoing in connection with the fire. The city's corporation counsel, Kathryn Emmett, didn't return a message Tuesday.

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$5 Million Settlement Reached In Stamford Christmas Fire

SANTA CRUZ -- Seven of the 14 contractors cited in a November sting in Aptos for contracting without a license pleaded guilty or no contest in court Monday and were ordered to pay a $750 fine plus court costs, according to county prosecutor Bill Atkinson.

Jail time will be suspended pending payment of the fine and efforts to obtain the license required from the Contractors State License Board, he said, noting two of the seven indicated they will not seek a license.

The other seven are scheduled for a court date later this month or February.

"It's a win-win for everybody if they can get their license, then they become accountable," Atkinson said, noting cases will be reviewed in nine months giving those cited time to study for the closed-book exam.

Atkinson said any work requiring more than $500 in labor and materials must be done by a licensed contractor who has posted a bond.

The Contractors State License Board application fee is $300, and the initial license fee covering two years is $180, for a total of $480. The fee for each additional classification, such as roofing, is $75.

Penalties for a first offense of contracting without a license are a fine of up of $5,000, six months in county jail, or both, said Steve Breen of the Contractors State License Board, noting a second conviction carries a mandatory 90-day jail sentence.

Atkinson said none of the 14 cited in Aptos had a prior conviction.

During 2013-14, the Labor Enforcement Task Force, a coalition including the Contractor State Licensed Board, district attorney's offices and Department of Industrial Relations, inspected 1,399 business statewide, 45 percent in construction, to combat the "underground economy," which puts operators who follow the rules at a disadvantage and results in tax revenue shortfalls. Santa Cruz County had 39 businesses inspected; no details were available Monday.

In November, investigators posed as homeowners and contacted contractors for a project estimate in Aptos, using a list of unlicensed contractors kept by the DA's office.

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Seven cited in Aptos for contracting without a license plead guilty

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