Laura Ricketts's 'Defective' Wilmette Mansion Leads To Legal Battles

WILMETTE, IL — The legal battles over Laura Ricketts's Wilmette mansion continue to be fought in court, more than a dozen years after the professional sports team owner and billionaire family member purchased the lakefront property.

Ricketts bought the 1.2-acre site in the 400 block of Sheridan Road in 2010 for $6.5 million, construction began in 2012 and wound up continuing until 2016. Plans for the home were ambitious, with a long wing stretching toward the lake and a sandy area connecting the house to the beach.

But, thanks to spiraling cost overruns totaling more than $7 million, Ricketts ended up spending more than $19.5 million on the land and the house, which was “riddled with significant construction defects," her attorneys alleged in court filings.

Ricketts and her wife moved into the Wilmette home in 2015 and encountered extensive problems while construction was still ongoing, according to an arbitration filing first reported last year by The Real Deal.

Her attorneys described more than a thousand elements of the construction that were defective or never completed, including improperly performed electrical work, windows that failed to close properly, extensive leaks and a roof that needed $1 million in repairs.

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According to the 30-page amended arbitration demand Ricketts filed in November 2022, the mansion's problems were so significant that they led to health and safety concerns — like mold growth and windows that made it not being able to escape the house in case of fire.

"For example, due to the defective carpentry, improper roofing, and improper plumbing and drainage, water infiltration in the form of leaks, saturated insulation, condensation, and other water collection occurred in numerous areas throughout the home," Ricketts alleged.

"Such water infiltration damaged ceilings, walls, and floors, and resulted in mold growth, water stains, cracking, and other moisture-related defects in many areas in the home, including the main level living room, the basement family room, the natatorium, the perimeter of the main roof, the three-season room and exterior kitchen above the south terrace, and around many window and doors," according to the demand.

"Further, the water infiltration and related damage was so extensive in the exterior kitchen and three-season porch that the exterior plywood sheathing decayed and deteriorated to the point of structural members crumbling to the touch, and it was saturated with significant amounts of biological growth and mold," it alleged. "Both of these conditions created health and safety hazards for Owner living in the home."

In December 2016, a consultant hired by Ricketts to assess issues with the house identified "defects in every room of the project and 1,200 items that needed correction."

In 2019, Ricketts filed for arbitration with Chicago-based LG Construction Group. She also sought the Evanston architecture firm that designed the mansion, Morgante Wilson. That dispute was settled in recent months for undisclosed terms, Crain's Chicago Business reported.

LG Construction tried to get its insurance company, Ohio-based Westfield Insurance, to cover the potential costs of the botched job, but Westfield refused.

That led to a legal between LG and Westfield, with the insurance company asking a judge to declare that it is not obligated to cover the more than $10 million in alleged damages associated with the project.

The insurer argued that the policy had expired more than 18 months before it was notified of Rickett's complaints.

Earlier this month, LG and Westfield each filed lawsuits against each other in Chicago federal court, which were first reported this week by Crain's.

The construction company's complaint seeks a court order that Westfield has to defend it in its arbitration with Ricketts and damages for its insurer alleged breach of its duty.

Meanwhile, Westfield, in its complaint, asks for a judgment declaring that it owes nothing to LG or to Ricketts and for the construction company to cover its court costs.

Ricketts's arbitration demand lists more than two dozen subcontractors who worked with LG Construction, which is owned by Brian Goldberg, Matt Wilke, Barry Howard and Marc Lifshin.

Subcontractors alleged to have who helped build her "defective" mansion included: Aral Construction, Biagi Plumbing, Boilini Company, Chicago Town Construction, Chicago Waterproof Co., CM Expert Flooring, Designed Stairs, DeCicco Contracting, Douglas & Company, Hauter Brothers, Imperial Tile & Stone, Migala Metal Design, Monroe Remodeling, New Wave Creations, Quality Custom Install, Quality Excavation, RDZ Stucco Enterprise, Ruben’s Spray Insulation, Salvo Architectural Roofing, Solve Construction, Sport Court Midwest, Sturdi Iron, Sunrise Temperature Services, The Woodworker, Top Notch Trim, Town & Country Conservatories and Wooten Electric.

Ricketts is the owner of the Chicago Red Stars, a co-owner of the Chicago Cubs and a minority owner of the Chicago Sky. She is the daughter of TD Ameritrade founder Joe Ricketts. According to Forbes, the family has a net worth of $4.5 billion.