A Marin County couple have taken the city of Belvedere to court after their home remodel turned into a nightmarish ordeal that culminated with a $250,000 fine and a lien they said endangered ownership of their dream home.
Many of the delays that led to the fine were actually caused by city officials, Laurent Lefouet argued in the lawsuit he and his wife filed Friday in federal court.
The lawsuit seeks unnamed punitive and compensatory damages against the city of Belvedere and alleges it is levying excessive fines, as well as violating the couple’s due process and constitutional rights, by setting arbitrary deadlines and then issuing “eye watering” fines after the project was delayed…