A $1 million beachhouse which was seen in widely-circulated photos and videos in the wake of a tornado in the Panama City Beach, Fla., area has now become a point of contention between neighbors and now the subject of a lawsuit.

On Jan. 9, severe weather, including tornados, hit the Panama City Beach area, causing extensive damage to numerous structures. Among them, a blue, three-story beach house which was seen in photos and videos across the internet — appearing largely intact, but leaning on a neighboring home.

Now, four months later, neighbors who own homes on each side of the tilted house have filed suit, claiming the owners of the leaning house are refusing to demolish the home until the neighbors release them from all liability for any damage caused during the demolition.

The suit was filed last week in Bay County Circuit Court. In it, plaintiffs William B. Lawrence III and Gene P. Stienecker say they cannot make repairs to their beach homes until the leaning home is demolished and, additionally, more damage is being caused the longer the leaning house remains there.

Lawrence and Stienecker are seeking a court order to have the owners of the leaning house, James Sturgeon and Yik Chun Wu, tear down the beach house immediately at their own expense.

When the Sturgeon-Wu house toppled over onto the top of Stienecker’s home, it also impacted Lawrence’s home, causing damage to the garage, according to the lawsuit.

Bay County issued a permit on Jan. 13, just days after the storm, to have the Sturgeon-Wu house demolished, but that permit was revoked for unknown reasons and later reissued on Feb. 28. The process normally requires 10 days notification to the neighbors before demolition can begin, but Stienecker and Lawrence agreed to reduce that requirement to two days.

On Feb. 29, Sturgeon and Wu notified the two neighbors demolition would begin March 4. Instead, Lawrence and Stienecker claim they were “ambushed” by Sturgeon and Wu with a demand to waive all liability for the demolition work, meaning were there any damage to the other two homes when the leaning home was demolished, Lawrence and Stienecker would be unable to file a claim against Sturgeon and Wu or the demolition contractor for those damages.

Lawrence and Stienecker refused to sign the wavier and, as a result, the demolition did not take place.

In their lawsuit, Lawrence and Stienecker say having the Sturgeon-Wu house still leaning is causing additional damage to their homes “as well as creating a nuisance and life-safety concerns.”

The Bay County Building Department has declared all three structures uninhabitable.

Sturgeon and Wu have yet to file a response to the suit in Bay Court Circuit Court.

Lawrence and Stienecker say Sturgeon and Wu are aware their home is causing additional damage to the other two homes and any repairs cannot begin until the leaning home is removed. They say they’ve also offered alternative solutions, which have been rejected by Sturgeon and Wu.

Because they can’t fix their homes with the Sturgeon-Wu house still leaning there, Bay County Code Enforcement has filed a complaint against both Lawrence and Sturgeon because their homes are “unfit or unsafe,” according to the suit.

That complaint could result in daily fines against Lawrence and/or Stienecker or the county could even seek to have their homes demolished, even though both can be repaired once the Sturgeon-Wu house is gone.

Lawrence and Stienecker are asking the court for a temporary injunction forcing Sturgeon and Wu to tear down the leaning house at their own expense and that Sturgeon and Wu remain liable for any damage caused to the other two homes during the demolition process.

They are also seeking to have Sturgeon and Wu liable for any code enforcement fines, as well as all attorneys’ fees.