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Lawsuit seeks to return pre-payments for roof work
Updated: August 6, 2012 6:19AM
An Elmwood Park homeowner is seeking to get back money paid to a construction company for work that was not completed.
The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Consumer Fraud Unit filed a lawsuit against a suburban construction company and its owner for allegedly bilking thousands of dollars from homeowners. Lake Shore Construction.net, Inc., and owner David Gerger are named in the suit that was filed June 27.
The lawsuit alleges that the company accepted more than $20,000 in payments from two homeowners for work that was never performed on their homes in Elmwood Park and Orland Park. The lawsuit also alleges Gerger misled the victims saying that the company was fully licensed to perform the promised repairs.
According to the lawsuit, Gerger operated his business out of two offices in Homer Glen and LaGrange Park and would solicit his services in neighborhoods that had recently experienced severe weather and offer to inspect homeowner’s roofs for damage.
After the two inspections identified in the lawsuit, Gerger told two homeowners, one in Elmwood Park, he had found damage to their roofs and offered to make the needed repairs.
Gerger allegedly told the homeowners that their homeowner’s insurance policy would cover the cost of his work and offered to negotiate their claim even though he was not a licensed insurance adjuster, according to the lawsuit.
When company representatives would come out to assess the damage, Gerger would meet with them and discuss the homeowner’s repairs. He would return to the victim’s home after their claim was approved to pick up the checks they had received and was the last time either of the victims saw Gerger again and no materials were ever delivered or work done on their homes, according to the lawsuit.
In total, Gerger is alleged to have taken $21,358.89 from the two victims.
The lawsuit seeks to permanently enjoin the defendants from engaging in any further alleged deceptive practices. Refunds for victims and a $50,000 fine are also being sought.
