BUGLE
ALERT!
Contempt ruling sought against Dutchess home improvement
contractor
POUGHKEEPSIE
-
The New York State Attorney General’s office has filed legal
action seeking a contempt order against a Red Hook home
improvement contractor who recently resumed doing business
despite a previous court ruling barring him from the industry.
Contractor Robert Brown, 65, faces a potential fine
and/or jail time if found in contempt of the prior court ruling.
“This individual’s notorious history of selling
promises to homeowners and then not delivering on them
underscores the need to bring further penalties against him,”
said Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. “As part of an ongoing
effort to crack down on unscrupulous home improvement
contractors, I am holding this individual accountable to the
original ruling against him to ensure that no more homeowners
are victimized.”
The Attorney General’s Office sued Brown in 2006 for
repeatedly defrauding customers by taking advance payments for
plumbing and basement waterproofing jobs, and performing shoddy
work or no work at all. In that case, Dutchess County State
Supreme Court Justice James Brands issued a permanent order
barring Brown from operating a home improvement business unless
he obtained a $100,000 performance bond and paid full
restitution to customers - of which Brown has done neither.
According to the judgment in that case, Brown ignored
customers’ complaints, failed to provide refunds and refused to
pay small claims judgments against him, resulting in
approximately $35,000 lost to ten consumers.
More recently, an investigation by the Attorney
General’s Office discovered Brown had contracted to do a
residential basement waterproofing job in violation of the
judge’s order. The Attorney General’s Office has filed court
papers seeking Brown be held in contempt of court for continuing
to operate his home improvement business.
Should Brown be found in contempt of Justice Brands’
order, he faces a potential $5,000 fine and/or up to 30 days in
jail. - MidHudsonNews.com 3/5/08
