Madigan
CHICAGO (Legal Newsline) - Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced five lawsuits on Thursday against home repair businesses that allegdly cheated homeowners out of more than $365,000.
The defendants are: National Restoration of Illinois and John Curtis, the company's president; Gulli Construction and Dominic Gulli, the company's owner; North Point Exteriors Inc. and Lateef Farooqui, the company's owner; Tropical Home Improvement Inc. and Herberth Pulgarin, the company's president; Randy & Sons Asphalt Paving and Seal Coating, and Randy Oaks Sr. and Randy Oaks Jr.
In some instances, the home repair companies came into communities after severe storms and took advantage of homeowners trying to get damage repaired, Madigan claims.
"In all of these cases, there were red-flag warnings that the contractors were up to no good," Madigan said. "Any time a repair company solicits door to door or uses high-pressure tactics to sign up customers, it's a signal that something is wrong. I urge homeowners to use extreme caution when hiring contractors. Do your homework and ask plenty of questions before signing anything."
The lawsuits request that the court permanently ban the defendants from working in the home repair industry in Illinois, cancel any pending contracts with homeowners, obtain restitution for affected consumers and impose civil penalties on the defendants for various allegations.
The Illinois Home Repair and Remodeling Act requires that contractors give customers written contracts for any remodeling or repair work that costs more than $1,000. Contracts must be signed by the contractors and the customer. Additionally, the law requires that contractors carry at least the minimum amounts of insurance for improper home repair, bodily injury and property damage. Contractors are also required to give consumers an informational pamphlet.