York, Livingston County - Clients say he walked away from partially completed work and what work that was done was so shoddy it had to be replaced.
“He took advantage of an old lady,” said 84 year old Lydia Curtis.
A Livingston County contractor has been ordered to pay $40,000 in judgments to former clients, yet they haven’t seen a dime and he remains in business- shielded by something called “the name game.”
“He can just keep doing it and doing it and no one can do anything to stop it,” said Lydia’s daughter Kathleen DeMarco who has helped her parents file a legal judgment.
Lydia and Herbert Curtis first hired Jesse James construction in 2010 to put a new roof on their century-old home in York, Livingston County. They made a hefty down payment for supplies but say after an initial tear off the roof was left covered in a tarp.
“I heard a big thud and one of those beams had fallen, it had broken loose,” said Lydia.
The Curtis’ also paid $3800 for supplies to re-finish an upstairs bedroom. They say that’s the last they saw of the contractor and of the money.
“After I gave him the money and after they stripped the room that was it,” said Mrs. Curtis. “I should have known better. I’m just too trusting.”
Fast forward two years. Ron Booth of Mt Morris had the same problem with a contracting company called Maintenance Free, a company he hired to build a new foundation under his barn.
Two years and thousands of dollars later the barn sits jacked up on bricks and stripped of some of its siding. “It’s still not complete,” said Booth. “Now I’m going to have to hire someone else and may more money to finish it.”
Reporter: It appears he made things worse instead of better?
Booth: Yes. He dug around it and he wasn’t properly securing the building.
