WBBM-Channel 2 news anchor Diann Burns is suing Metzler / Hull Development, a well known builder of high-end custom homes, for allegedly doing substandard work on her $3 million North Burling Street mansion, according to a report in the Chicago Sun-Times. The lawsuit cites problems with limestone, stairway lighting, doors and other items, and claims that the builder cut corners because Burns and her husband are African-American.
The Sun-Times story ends by noting that Burns also made race an issue when WLS-Channel 7 took her off the air before her contract expired in 2003. We won’t presume to weigh in on the race issue, but we did get wind of the story quite a while ago. At that time, our source said, Burns felt trapped because she was unhappy with the work being done but felt she had little recourse because she didn’t want the story to play out in the media.
We also won’t weigh in on the work of Metzler / Hull, but we can say that the more than 5,700-square-foot mansion Burns and her husband built is modest compared to some of the gaudy castles being thrown up (verb used advisedly) on Burling.