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# Couple held liable for plumbers’ repair work
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/couple-held-liable-for-plumbers-repair-work/
- Published: 2003-02-13T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T01:33:43.000Z
- Author: John Wood
- Tags: Crime, Santa Monica, #archive-import

A Santa Monica couple were held responsible for shoddy repair work by plumbers who attempted to fix a water heater problem that ruined their neighbor’s condo.

A Santa Monica judge ruled that even though it wasn’t the couple’s fault that water damage ruined their neighbors’ condo, the couple’s homeowner insurance would cover the repairs.

Jimone and Sharona Berookhim couldn’t find a lawyer willing to take on their $24,000 negligence lawsuit, so they took their case to small claims court last month, claiming their upstairs neighbors were responsible for flooding their Santa Monica condominium.

On three different days, water poured through their walls and ceilings, ruining an expensive Persian rug, their computer and carpeting, and caused extensive repair costs, the couple told the court.

“The whole roof came down,” Jimone Berookhim said, “it just collapsed. It was so bad, even the garage below us got flooded. It was absolute chaos.”

On Aug. 23, 2001, at 11 p.m., the Berookhims first noticed a section of their wall had caved in because of gushing water coming from above, Jimone Berookhim said. He immediately called his upstairs neighbors, who shut off the main water valve and agreed to allow maintenance workers into their apartment the following day.

Plumbers inspected Saeed and Narmeen Humayun’s condominium but found nothing out of the ordinary, so the water was turned back on.

But two days later, the problem got worse. Water gushed into the Berookhims’ bedrooms and bathrooms, they said. The main water valve again was turned off and a different set of professionals came to survey the situation.

The new plumbers said the old water heater in the Humayans’ unit was to blame. A new heater was installed and the water was turned back on.

Two more days later, the Berookhims said their roof crashed in. The second plumbers apparently didn’t attach one of the hoses connected to the new water heater.

Though the Humayuns admitted the water came from their apartment, they argued they weren’t responsible for the repairs because they had done everything in their power to solve the problem.

“We’ve been accused of negligence, and I think the records show we called the professionals and did everything we could in an expeditious manner,” Saeed Humayun said. “It’s unfair (that the damages occurred), but it’s not because of our negligence.”

> “We’ve been accused of negligence, and I think the records show we called the professionals and did everything we could in an expeditious manner. It’s unfair (that the damages occurred), but it’s not because of our negligence.” — — SAEED HUMAYUN Defendant

But Judge Pro Tem Thomas Flattery didn’t see it that way. After confirming that the Humayans had homeowner’s insurance, he awarded the Berookhims $5,000, the maximum award in small claims court.

“I’m not saying you didn’t do all you could,” Flattery said to the defendants. “But I’m persuaded there was a problem and the plaintiffs were damaged — and unfortunately it came from your property.”

After his ruling, Flattery said the plumbers could ultimately be held liable for what appeared to be lapses in judgment and workmanship.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 13, 2003.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/021303.pdf?ref=smdp.com)