February 16, 2017, Las Vegas, NV
It’s happened to so many people. They rely on a contractor to fix or repair damage to their home. By the time the project is finished, the homeowner finds that they have been the victim of an unscrupulous contractor. Their home is in pieces, they don’t know where to turn, and they now face a mechanic’s lien on their home or worse, a lawsuit.
It happened to our client. They returned home from vacation to find that a water line to their refrigerator’s icemaker failed, causing flooding to their beautiful home, including damage to their marble floors and cabinets. Water can do tremendous damage to a home, and this was no exception.
Things got even worse when our clients hired a local contractor to repair their floors and perform some mold remediation work. By the time it was over, the home was in a shambles, the floor work and mold remediation was poorly done and the contractor walked off the job. Our clients were left to pick up the pieces on their own. Of course, we’re not saying that all contractors are unscrupulous, far from it, but our clients definitely picked the wrong name out of the phone book.
However, this nightmare did not end with just shoddy work. After our clients refused to pay the contractor’s outrageous bill, the contractor placed an inflated mechanic’s lien on their home and filed a lawsuit against them
After a grueling, four-year legal journey handled by Eric Dobberstein and Chris Fellows, the matter finally went to trial. The contractor demanded damages of $42,300.00 for their shoddy work, plus $37,000.00 in attorney’s fees. After adding in interest and other costs, our clients faced the possibility of a verdict of $98,000.00 against them.
After a non-jury trial, the judge rendered a verdict in Plaintiff’s favor for under $25,000.00 including attorney’s fees. At the end of the day, our clients walked away owing approximately 1/3 the amount demanded by the contractor.
The lesson here is, do plenty of research before you hire a contractor. There are lots of websites that include reviews. Be sure to do your due diligence before you make that call.
If you’ve been the victim of an unscrupulous contractor, or if you’ve been injured in any way and you don’t know where to turn, call the law firm of McCullough, Dobberstein & Evans. Our experienced attorneys will fight hard for you. For more details, email us at cfellows@mcpalaw.com or edobberstein@mcpalaw.com or call us at (702) 385-7383 for a consultation.