Pugel v. Monheimer

Daniel Pugel sued his former attorney, Melville Monheimer, for negligently failing to file a complaint before the statute of limitations expired. The underlying action — and hence this action, too — involves property damage that occurred when a neighbor’s excava tion project removed lateral support for Pugel’s real property. Reversing the trial court, we hold that Pugel is entitled to damages for both the reasonable and necessary restoration costs and the diminution in value remaining after the restoration.

Pugel owns an apartment building in Seattle. His neighbor began excavation of an…