THanks all,
God, I'm hoping it won't end in bankruptcy. Ultimately, we need a house to live in!
And yes, Saint Mike - I'm really feeling like it was beyond our control. Which is what scares me. The legal process is beyond our control too.
On the positive side, we got a building inspection report. He really didn't hold back. He stated that the wall was clearly on our property, it was never designed to be a retaining wall, and that teh recent demolition of our house had no bearing on the wall. It was going to collapse anyway, due to the weight against it. Further - that it could have collapsed at any time in the last 7 years since it was built, and it could have killed someone.
He went on to say that the neighbour was clearly negligent, and that it is the responsibility of the neighbour to fix everything, as well as to rebuild our original wall, or reimburse us the cost of that wall.
We will be speaking to the lawyer today. I'm really hoping it's more good news. I can't take anymore bad. But feeling a little better that a professional (and independent) building inspector has that opinion.
What I still don't understand is how their insurance company assessor could say the opposite? If the neighbours are being truthful, that is. How can another professional building inspector come up with something so different?