Attorney General Raoul files lawsuit over home repair scams defrauding dozens of Illinois homeowners

Attorney Common Kwame Raoul submitted a lawsuit Tuesday, May possibly 3, from two Kane County enterprises and their proprietors about allegedly preying on Illinois property owners who knowledgeable roofing destruction brought on by serious weather conditions in Chicagoland and Christian and Winnebago Counties.

Raoul filed the lawsuit in the Circuit Court of Cook County towards G&M Exteriors Pros Inc. (G&M) and Illinois Adjustors Corp. (Illinois Adjustors), as well as their respective proprietors, Olegario Coyotl and Bryan Tlaczani. Raoul’s lawsuit alleges the companies preyed on far more than 40 property owners in a number of Illinois counties.

“On top rated of the worry of dealing with storm destruction to their houses, these home owners have been specific by the two G&M Exteriors and Illinois Adjustors, who exploited individuals for gain,” Raoul mentioned. “I am committed to continuing to protect Illinoisans who have been victimized by these types of predatory business techniques.”

In accordance to Raoul’s lawsuit, Illinois Adjustors allegedly promised to waive its general public altering costs for owners who agreed to employ G&M to execute roofing repairs. Illinois Adjustors would then allegedly act as a middleman involving the house owner and insurance policies company, getting declare checks in the company’s identify. However, Raoul alleges that once the checks had been issued, G&M generally failed to commence or complete promised restore work or would conduct substandard get the job done. When house owners attempted to cancel their contracts, G&M generally ignored problems, leaving people today with limited choices and the fear that Illinois Adjustors would desire payment for the general public modifying price that was beforehand waived when the house owner chosen G&M. That payment typically equated to above a 3rd of the total insurance plan proceeds.

Raoul’s lawsuit also alleges that when contracting for home repairs, the companies unsuccessful to deliver owners with the Lawyer General’s informational “Residence Mend: Know Your Purchaser Legal rights” pamphlet and failed to advise property owners of their cancellation legal rights or to deliver cancellation notices as needed under Illinois law. The Property Fix and Remodeling Act demands contractors to provide prospects with prepared contracts for any repair or remodeling do the job that expenditures extra than $1,000. A agreement have to be signed by both of those the client and contractor. The legislation also calls for contractors to have at least the minimum amount amounts of insurance for house damage, bodily harm and inappropriate dwelling repair service.

In the lawsuit, Raoul is trying to get restitution for victims, a court-ordered prohibition in opposition to the two firms and entrepreneurs from further more participating in related small business practices, and civil penalties for violations of the Buyer Fraud Act.

Despite the fact that condition law does not demand standard contractors to be certified, municipalities may perhaps have to have permits or have other regional requirements. Legal professional General Raoul encourages residence and enterprise house owners to check with their local governments for extra information and facts about permits or other area necessities before hiring any person. Community adjusters will have to be accredited by the Illinois Section of Insurance policies, and roofers will have to be accredited by the Illinois Department of Fiscal and Professional Regulation.

Buyers who consider they have been the target of fraud can file a complaint on the Legal professional General’s website or by contacting the office’s Purchaser Fraud Hotline at (800) 243-0618.