Judge Orders West Virginia Home Improvement Contractor to Stop Work

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey won a $76,000 judgment that also orders a home improvement contractor to cease any work as a contractor. Thomas Plumbing Heating & Air Conditioning has been ordered to pay a $70,000 civil penalty and pay back $6,640 owed to individuals who had hired the company, WVNews reports.

Randolph County Circuit Judge David Wilmoth determined Thomas Plumbing Heating & Air Conditioning; its operator, Oscar Thomas; and his wife and fellow participant, April Thomas; each repeatedly and willfully violated the state’s consumer protection laws, according to the office of West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey.

The Attorney General’s lawsuit alleged that the defendants collected thousands of dollars in down payments. Work never began on some projects. Others were started, but never finished and left in such disarray that consumers had no choice but to hire others to complete, repair or totally redo the project, according to Morrisey’s office.