Legal Question in Construction Law in Georgia

I�m a subcontractor in Georgia. I put a new roof on a house for an elderly lady at the end of October 2012. It was a word of mouth job that she contacted my dad to arrange. I charged $6000 for the job (over $3000 went to buy the materials) and completed the job in around a week. She contacted my dad just before Thanksgiving and said that she needed to discuss a few things with us� my dad had just been diagnosed with leukemia and was in the hospital at this time. He explained all of this to her and she said that we could get together and talk after he was released from the hospital. Shortly after, my dad was moved to the ICU and put into an induced coma. She did call his home phone (no one was there) a few times during his hospital stay, but she never called me.

Today, I took her a receipt that she requested for tax purposes and she proceeded to tell me that there was a problem with the roof and she had grown impatient and contacted someone to come look at it. The initial problem had been 2 shingles had blown up� this contractor came out and told her the entire roof was bad and needed to be replaced. She agreed and let him do the work, without notifying me or letting me correct any problems and without getting a second opinion. He threw away all of the brand new material that I had used. Mostly he claimed that things weren�t nailed down� if that were so, new materials shouldn�t have been used. She is now threatening a lawsuit unless I give her a refund of the full $6000 she paid me. If she sues, she says she will sue for the $6000 plus the entire cost of the second roof.

I did an honest and good job, and I know that she has been scammed. I cannot afford to give her a refund. What should I do? Does she have a legal basis for a lawsuit? Can anyone point me in the direction of laws or codes that support me? Thanks in advance.


Asked on 2/05/13, 4:34 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys

Scott Riddle Law Office of Scott B. Riddle, LLC

We only know your side. She has her side. Codes and laws won't resolve anything now. If she sues, you should hire a lawyer to defend you, and the judge will decide. Until then, you don't have a problem.

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Answered on 2/05/13, 4:41 pm


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