Testaverde sued over leaks at former home

New owners of the ex-Buc's home say they have spent $48,000 on roof repairs.

By ALICIA CALDWELL, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published August 21, 2002

The couple who bought the Lutz luxury home of former Tampa Bay Buccaneer Vinny Testaverde have sued the quarterback, saying he should have known and disclosed that the house had a badly leaking roof.

Barbara and Wieslaw Henry Kasprow contend in the lawsuit that they've had to spend $48,000 to fix the roof and another $600 to exterminate pests in the house, which they bought from Testaverde and his wife, Mitzi, in January 2001.

They are seeking reimbursement as well as legal costs, said their attorney, Robert J. Jones, of St. Petersburg.

Jones attached to the lawsuit a letter that the Testaverdes wrote their builder, saying they were surprised to learn the roof leaked and the new owners were saying that faulty construction was to blame.

"We are shocked by this and never had any indication that the roof was damaged," according to the February 2001 letter. "We would ask that you please assist Mr. Kasprow in any way you can. If the roof does have a warranty, could you please honor it."

Testaverde's sports agent, Mike Azzarelli, said Tuesday he had spoken to Testaverde about the action and Testaverde considered it a "nuisance" lawsuit.

"He never had any leaks and it's an inappropriate lawsuit," Azzarelli said. Testaverde now plays for the New York Jets.

The 14-acre Testaverde property included a main home and a second home, a caretaker home, a shed, and a building housing a weight room, said Azzarelli. A purchase agreement attached to the lawsuit showed a sales price of $2.375-million.

However, the suit involves only the main house, in which the Testaverdes lived for more than six years, according to the lawsuit. The property, at 936 Crenshaw Lake Road in Lutz, is 7,777 square feet and valued for tax purposes at $978,939, according to the Hillsborough County Property Appraiser's Office. Jones said the property has since been divided, with Wieslaw Kasprow's parents owning and living in the other large home in the compound.

The lawsuit, filed Monday in Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Court, also names as defendants WME Pest Management, a Tarpon Springs pest control company that conducted the wood-destroying pest inspection before the sale; Azzarelli Builders, the Tampa company that built the home, and G.H. Porter, a Tampa roofing subcontractor.

Tom Azzarelli, who owns the construction company that bears his name and is Mike Azzarelli's brother, declined to comment. Also declining comment were Tom Wisdo, president of WME, and Ed Huertas, vice president of the roofing company.

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