Free Market Follies

This is funny. Though not actually "ha ha" funny.

Homeowners say a Brevard County homebuilding company is bullying, threatening and even suing homeowners for complaining about inferior construction.

A NewsChannel 2 investigation -- part of our Building Homes: Building Problems series -- found Mercedes Homes actually filed a lawsuit against a woman for telling her neighbors about severe leaks in her home.

Jay Ann Contardi couldn't imagine a problem any worse than the deluge of rainwater pouring into her leaking home. That is, until she ran afoul of the aggressive lawyers representing her builder, Mercedes Homes.

"It has changed my life. I'm afraid to talk to my neighbors. I'm afraid to walk my daughter to the bus stop. I'm afraid to talk to you right now," she told NewsChannel 2 reporter Dan Billow.

She's not the only one. Other Mercedes homeowners asked us to protect their identities.

"I feel like I'm in a police state. I can't do anything. I have no avenues. I have nowhere to turn," one homeowner said.

That's what it feels like when you're sued for talking to your neighbor.

In the company's plush corporate offices, executives hatched a plan to make buyers sign away their First Amendment rights.

"It's there in black and white. The customer should read his or her contract thoroughly before they enter into it," said Patrick Roche, Mercedes Attorney.