Sugar Land, Memorial companies sued over raw sewage flood in Cypress

A Harris County Municipal Utility District is suing companies in Sugar Land and Memorial after raw sewage flooded three homes in Cypress.

Harris County Municipal Utility District 419 filed a lawsuit on March 10 in the Harris County District Court against Severn Trent Environmental Services, with an office in Sugar Land, Memorial-area Brown and Gay Engineers and Brymcon Inc., alleging negligence and breach of contract.

The Municipal District says that in 2005, it hired Severn Trent to operate and maintain the water distribution and sewage system in Municipal Utility District 419. According to the brief, while Severn was performing its duties under their contract, raw sewage flooded three residences located at North Thomas Shore in Cypress.  

The District paid out $281,930.62 for the damage caused by the flooding, but claims it was the result of the defendants’ improper operation of a lift pump station.

The Municipal District is seeking all damages to which it is entitled, attorney’s fees and court costs. It is being represented in the case by Houston attorney Edward Hennessy.

Harris County District Court Case No. 2011-14277.

This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed at the Harris County Courthouse. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note, a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt, and it only represents one side of the story.