INSURERS SUE SECURITY FIRM:

The insurers for the company building the Hunters Brooke development in Charles County, Maryland have filed a lawsuit against the security firm that employed one of the men who allegedly set fire to the subdivision last December. The suit accuses Security Services of America of negligence and breach of contract.

SSA was hired to provide security for Hunters Brooke as it was under construction. An early morning arson fire on Dec. 6 damaged dozens of homes, causing $10 million in damage. One of the men accused of the crime, Aaron Speed, worked for SSA and was on duty that night. Speed has since pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit arson.

The lawsuit was filed by Lloyd’s of London and Axis Specialty Europe Ltd., the insurers for builder Patriot Homes. It claims there was “an express and/or implied” agreement “that SSA would provide security personnel who were of the highest moral character, and whose backgrounds and fitness for the job had been properly vetted, and that SSA provided appropriate professional training and supervision to its security personnel.”