Mass AG: Firm Agrees To Remove Mechanics Liens On Houses; Resolves Complaints By Paid-In Full Homeowners Of Improper Squeezing By Contractor, Supplier

From the Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General:

• Attorney General Martha Coakley’s Office has entered into a settlement agreement with [...] National Lumber Company resolving a civil investigation into National Lumber’s placement of liens on the homes of at least ten Massachusetts consumers totaling approximately $260,000, as well as National Lumber’s business relationship with Taunton-based home improvement contractor Dennis Bartel (“Bartel”) and Bartel’s companies New Dimensions Construction Services and New Dimensions Construction, LLC . [...] National Lumber has agreed to remove all liens placed on Massachusetts residential properties where National Lumber was seeking to recover monies for labor and/or materials it had supplied to Bartel and New Dimensions.

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• The Attorney General’s Office began investigating Bartel in 2005, after receiving complaints from Massachusetts consumers alleging, among other unfair conduct, that Bartel, through his home contracting businesses, executed contracts and took payments for home improvements and failed to either commence or complete the projects. Bartel allegedly also failed to pay National Lumber for the materials for which the consumers had prepaid.

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• The Attorney General’s Office received complaints that National Lumber, a subcontractor for Bartel, was placing liens on the homes of Massachusetts consumers to assist Bartel in leveraging payments from these consumers even though the consumers claimed not to owe additional monies to Bartel.

• The Attorney General’s Office also investigated allegations that National Lumber's liens exceeded the amount owed for materials and that National Lumber extended credit to Bartel, despite his payment delinquency, with the intention of placing these liens to recover from the consumers the monies due from Bartel.

For more, see the Mass AG press release: AG Coakley Reaches Agreement with Lumber Company to Remove Liens Placed on Consumers’ Property for Monies Owed by Contractor.

For a similar sounding alleged scam in Illinois, see Attorney General Madigan, State's Attorney Alvarez Sue Chicago Lien Filing Service For Fraudulent Practices.

Go here for other posts on suspected mechanics lien scams. StiffingContractorsTheta MechanicLienScamTheta