Is the old owner liable

[Rhiannon Then]

Oh, brother BP,

 Moved into our triplex September 6th and about a week or two ago, not sure, but I have it written down, one of the tenants told us there was a leak. She asked my husband if he knew this when he bought the place, and asked if he had had the  the roof checked. Ofcourse, we had an inspection. She also to my surprise stated the old owner knew because she had reported the it. 

The old owner claimed he had no knowledg of damage on the disclosures. I just had the roof inspected and the roofer says it is the carport cause the leak. Where the flat carport meets the roof it is puddling and getting under. 

The roofer said that there is no way that someone didn't know about it because the carport top had obviously blown off and been renailed. He said an inspector should have caught this. The carport wood is rotten and needs to be replaced and a couple of strips of the regular roof.

Do I have any recourse with the old owner. We closed August 28th. Is he liable???

I'm writing this on the fly because I just found out. The roofer says that  likely  insurance won't cover because it is prior damage. I need to go back and review he inspection!