Buyers of former Norman Chandler mansion lose real-estate dispute

A couple who bought the mansion that once belonged to Los Angeles Times publisher Norman Chandler have lost a bid for civil damages against a previous owner who they claimed concealed myriad problems there.

An arbitrator found Monday that Joseph Handleman and Courtney Callahan, who spent more than $8 million for the Windsor Square property in 2006, did not show that Timothy Corrigan and his business partner deceived them about the condition of the house.

Handleman and Callahan had alleged in court documents that Corrigan and a Coldwell Banker broker had concealed faulty water pipes, leaky roofs, black mold, raw sewage and dangerous wiring.

The arbitrator also ordered Handleman and Callahan to pay attorney fees and other costs related to the three-year dispute. Corrigan’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, estimated those costs at $1.1 million.

The century-old, 10,000-square-foot Beaux Arts estate on Lorraine Boulevard was the longtime home of Chandler, who named it “Los Tiempos” (The Times). His wife, Dorothy Buffum Chandler, raised funds there to build the Music Center.

Callahan said Tuesday that the arbitrator’s award “was procured through fraud and corruption.”

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Photo: Joseph Handleman and Courtney Callahan in front of the former home of Norman and Dorothy Chandler. Credit: Gary Friedman/Los Angeles Times