CHICAGO (Legal Newsline) - Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan filed a lawsuit Tuesday against a home repair contractor for allegedly defrauding Chicago-area consumers, including a church, out of more than $150,000.
Andrzej Rogowski solicited work through his two companies, Economic Remodeling Inc. and Aster Inc. Rogowski allegedly took upfront payments from homeowners but either performed shoddy work or failed to complete the work at all. Madigan's office received more than 50 complaints from consumers who allegedly lost more than $150,000.
"Whenever a contractor demands an upfront payment, that should be a red flag," Madigan said. "I encourage anyone seeking to have repairs done on their home to use extreme caution when deciding on which company to work with. Do your homework and ask lots of questions."
In one instance, St. Andrew's Missionary Baptist Church paid $54,000 to Rogowski for repairs to the church's roof. During the six months Rogowski worked on the roof, the church allegedly suffered water damage and mold and mildew growth. Rogowski allegedly failed to renovate the interior of the church and failed to stop the roof from leaking.
Madigan's lawsuit requests that the court permanently ban the defendants from working in the home repair industry in Illinois, cancel any pending contracts with homeowners and impose civil penalties based on violations of the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Businesses Practices Act.
Illinois AG files lawsuit against Chicago-area roofer
