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A Parker County family’s lawsuit against their Fort Worth home builder resulted in a $21.6 million judgment on Oct. 13, with a jury finding the builder liable for serious construction defects.
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In 2025, Ronny and Mandy McCoy of Weatherford sued builder Ricky Dauenhauer, Dauenhauer and Associates, NAE Contracting and Weatherford-based Prestige Plumbing and Construction in Tarrant County District Court, accusing the defendants of negligence, gross negligence and deceptive trade practices.
In a phone interview, the McCoys’ attorney, Sabine Wakim with Just Well Law, said her clients employed Fort Worth-based NAE Contracting to build their home, which they bought in 2018. Throughout the process, Wakim said, the McCoys worked with Ricky Dauenhauer — who owned NAE Contracting with his wife, Chantal Dauenhauer — as well as with project superintendents employed by NAE Contracting.
In court filings, the McCoys said negligence and poor workmanship led to hazardous conditions in their home.
“The most serious failure involved the plumbing system: workers improperly terminated all plumbing vents into the attic, allowing toxic sewer gases to build up and circulate inside the home,” the plaintiffs’ lawsuit petition read.
According to the petition, those gases included hydrogen sulfide and methane, which led to a “pervasive, unpleasant smell throughout the property.”
Improper ventilation also resulted in mold, court filings said, which, along with the sewage gas, was blamed for health issues the McCoys experienced, including migraine headaches and respiratory and skin problems.
According to court filings, the McCoys voiced concerns about the sewage odor before closing on the home, but a project manager attributed the smell to “unrelated factors.”
Prestige Plumbing and Construction installed the home’s plumbing system, but Michael Lansford, the company’s owner, told the Star-Telegram he was not liable for any part of the $21.6 million judgment.
Lansford said a state investigation found no wrongdoing on his part or on the part of his workers. He said NAE Contracting had asked him to delay extending the plumbing vents through the home’s roof during construction because of rain. Lansford said he was never contacted by the builder to come back and finish that job, and that at some point workers covered the vents in the attic with foam insulation.
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Lansford said the McCoys called him out to the house after it was built on at least one occasion, to address a bathtub leak. He also said he had gone into the attic to look at the home’s water heater, but he didn’t detect a foul odor.
Court filings said the McCoys brought in another plumber who discovered the plumbing vents were emitting gases into the attic.
In addition to the plumbing and ventilation issues, an inspector documented a number of other defects with the home’s structure and foundation in 2025, according to court filings.
The McCoys’ attorney said the house will need to be razed and completely rebuilt. For now, the family is living in an RV in front of the home.
The Star-Telegram left a message at the offices of NAE Contracting requesting comment, but that message was not immediately returned. A message requesting comment left at a phone number purportedly belonging to Ricky Dauenhauer was also not returned.
Chantal Dauenhauer is listed as the sole owner on the NAE Contracting website, which says the company has worked on projects for NASA, the U.S. Air Force, Lockheed Martin and several area school districts.
The Dauenhauers own the Covered Bridge wedding venue in Springtown, which closed indefinitely after being damaged by a tornado in April.
Ricky Dauenhauer is also a motivational speaker and author. His bio on the Professional Speakers Bureau International website says he “is a self-made entrepreneur, certified life coach, and generational builder whose journey from rural poverty to leading multi-million-dollar companies spans construction, real estate, hospitality and personal development.”
This story was originally published October 14, 2026 at 1:32 PM with the headline “Sewer gas vents in attic lead to $21.6M judgment against Fort Worth builder.”
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