Legal Question in Construction Law in New Jersey

Tons of extras & no payments by client

I, the builder, built a huge second story addition & large kitchen on an ''already tight budget'' to a 65wX30d ranch house. I provided the homeowners with change orders but continued the work in good faith.....now I was short of finishing the project and they neglect to pay the $35k in extras....I know that I made the huge mistake of not stopping the job until either being paid for the change orders or signed to refuse it. But can it be that I did a 3,200 sq.ft addition for $140k and they are reversing the suit stating that I owe them $50k that they had to pay someone else to finish the house?.....On top of that , Im being sued for fraud....I have ALL receipts for the work already done. Will the judge need proof of where the monies went or consider, with pictures, of the true work done?


Asked on 11/14/07, 8:07 pm

2 Answers from Attorneys
Robert Davies The Davies Law Firm, P.A.

Re: Tons of extras & no payments by client

These situations are miserable for the builder, and you may have a homeowner who is screaming that he was defrauded. You should definitely hire an attorney to pursue this for you. You are making a huge mistake if you try to do this on your own.

Good records will help a lot. This kind of lawsuit is always complicated, many separate items to be fought over, so good records will be critical.

Let me know if you want me to assist.

My contact information can be obtained from the links below, just click on the Attorney Profile link. Let my secretary know you found me through LawGuru.

Disclaimer: Your question and any response does NOT create an attorney-client relationship between you and this law firm. You can not rely on the statements made by an attorney given over the internet. The response that you have received is based only on the small amount of information which you have provided. The exact facts of your situation, including facts which you have not mentioned in your question, may completely change the result for your situation.

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Answered on 11/15/07, 11:07 am
John Corbett Corbett Law Firm LLC

Re: Tons of extras & no payments by client

If you have good records and backup for the extra work that you did, you may yet be able to collect. It would be better to have signed change orders, but that is not an absolute bar to your case.

This is not a suit that you should be handling yourself. You also need to contact a lawyer as soon as you can in order to ensure that your rights in the property are protected. My firm handles matters of this type, however it may be easier for you to work with a lawyer whose office is closer to you. (You did not give your Zip code.) If I can be of further help to you, call or email.

See also: http://info.corbettlaw.net/lawguru.htm

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Answered on 11/14/07, 10:00 pm


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