Horizon West owners' insurance lawsuit fails, state help sought

WAUKESHA, Wis. - Waukesha's troubled Horizon West condominium building will soon be rubble.

As crews reduce it to steel beams, owners aren’t giving up yet. A letter to the state could be their last hope.

The city ordered Horizon West's residents to evacuate two years ago amid concerns the building might collapse. Since, chiropractor Ben Chudy has been dealing with a big pain in the neck.

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"Every time you drive by, a little bit less is standing," he said.

Chudy used to live at Horizon West. He and 49 other families owned homes in the building – and are still paying for them.

Demolition of Horizon West condo building

"Myself, I’m suffering a six-figure loss," said Chudy. "It’s still an injustice. There’s been no peace."

After failing twice in court to get financial help from Travelers Insurance, Chudy and his former neighbors fired off a letter before Christmas asking the state commissioner of insurance to step in.

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"I just thought, we’ll throw it all out there, see what happens," he said. "Whether that’s trying to get Travelers to reconsider, trying to work out a deal with Travelers, pulling funds from federal programs that we overlooked."

The owners are looking for anything to help a nightmare that started with a knock on their doors in December 2021.

"It was dark out. It was just a few weeks before Christmas," said Katie Piechotta, who lives nearby. She has been watching the demolition from her house. "There’s been a lot of crashing and clanging."

The city hopes the building will be completely torn down this month. The owners won’t go away quietly either.

"Horizon West is not done fighting," Chudy said.

The state insurance commissioner received the owners' letter last week and opened a complaint for the case. A spokesperson would not provide any further details.