Their Spanaway home got water damage, leaving them in hotel for months. Their case is over

A Spanaway family stuck for months in a Federal Way hotel soon will be returning home after wrangling with their insurance company over remediation and repairs following water damage from leaking upstairs pipes.

Renee and Alphonso Niles sued The Travelers Home and Marine Insurance Co. in Pierce County Superior Court before the case was moved to federal court in February. The couple accused Travelers of failing to fully extend coverage for the loss, investigate the family of five’s claim for coverage or provide coverage for necessary repairs to the home.

The lawsuit was dismissed on July 12 following a notice that it had been “settled after mediation” during or before late June, federal court records show.

Attorney Leah Snyder, who represented the family, said in an interview Thursday that she couldn’t comment on the suit except to say that the matter was resolved.

“The Niles’ are happy to be moving back in their home shortly,” Snyder said.

A message left with Travelers’ corporate office was not returned. The insurance company previously declined to comment but denied wrongdoing in a submitted answer to the complaint in court.

Last August, the Niles’ spacious two-story home, where they have lived since 2016, sustained water damage. It led to mold and sewage inside their house. Amid a dispute with Travelers, the family moved into three cramped hotel rooms roughly 25 miles away.

The family, including three sons between the ages of 14 and 20 and a young German shepherd, conveyed the difficulties of their cramped living quarters to The News Tribune in February. By then, they had been in a holding pattern at the hotel for five months as they waited to get their house addressed.