Can you sue a Sewer Inspector for Negligence?

[Christine James]

We hired a contractor to decommission the septic system and tie into the town sewer in order to sell our house. The contractor tied ONE line into the sewer and dug a hole into the septic tank. The inspector came and stood over the small hole in the tank and then left. Once the inspector left, the contractor filled in the tank. The system had TWO lines from the house to the tank, and the second line was not tied into the sewer. Sewerage filled the yard and the new homeowner had to hire another contractor to fix the mess. We were sued by the new homeowner for their expense since the contract was not with them, but with us. Can we sue the inspector for negligence for not thoroughly inspecting the system, and allowing the contractor to fill it in when the system was not completely decommissioned? Thank you for your help.

[James H.]

Well, you can sue anyone. The most logical person to sue is the contractor and work from there. I'd get an attorney.