Joplin tornado victims to receive refunds from contractor

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (Legal Newsline) - Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster announced a consent judgment on Tuesday against Clark Baxter of Sustainable Design Inc., which allegedly failed to provide Joplin tornado victims with construction materials and home-repair services.

The order, signed by Jasper County Circuit Court Judge Gayle Crane, states that Baxter will pay a total of $26,000 in restitution and fines and will be permanently banned from doing business in the state Missouri.

Koster said that two Joplin homeowners paid Baxter to rebuild their homes after the Joplin tornado. Baxter allegedly falsely claimed he was an architect and said he would act as their general contractor.

Baxter then failed to deliver construction materials to the work site and stopped working before completing the jobs, Koster says. He confessed to using the homeowner's funds for trips to Hawaii and California, Koster says.

Baxter will pay a total of $26,000 in fees and restitution. A payment of $16,000 already received will be dispersed to Samaritan's Purse and the Catholic Charities of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, which volunteered their time and resources to complete construction of the two homes. The remaining fines will be paid in monthly installments.