Illinois AG Sues Chicago Area Home Repair Contractors

Three lawsuits against fraudulent home repair businesses accused of cheating Chicago area homeowners out of more than $600,000 for repairs never completed have been filed by the Illinois Attorney General’s office recently.

The lawsuits were filed in Cook County Circuit Court on behalf of consumers in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake and Will counties.

The lawsuits were filed against alleged storm chaser Ricky Shattuck, of Mundelein, who solicited home repair service as RLCC, and James D. Johnsen, operating as Thermal Construction Windows.com, based in Des Plaines.

The Attorney General’s office also filed suit against Janeen Heilman, Erick Zerse and Chris Bidigare, operating as Fairway Construction and Maintenance Services LLC, based in Oak Park, and Rock Construction Management LLC, based in Westchester.

Authorities allege Shattuck targeted homeowners for solicitation in the wake of severe weather, offering repair service to fix damage caused by storms that he never completed. Consumers living in Cook, Kane and Lake counties reported losses of more than $8,900 to Madigan’s office and the Better Business Bureau. Some consumers said Shattuck required them to sign over their storm-damage insurance checks as upfront payments for the work.

The lawsuit against Johnsen alleges he cheated homeowners living in Cook, DuPage and Lake counties out of more than $148,000 for repair work he never completed. Fifty-four consumers reported to Madigan’s office, the BBB and Angie’s List that Johnsen failed to complete repairs, despite requiring them to pay an upfront payment for half of the contracted work.

In the lawsuit against Heilman, Zerse and Bidigare, the Attorney General said consumers living in Cook and Will counties reported losses of more than $511,000 for work that was never completed. They reported to Madigan’s office and the BBB that the defendants accepted upfront sums from $1,050 to more than $174,000.

The lawsuits request the court to permanently prohibit the defendants from working in the home repair trade in Illinois, cancel any pending contracts with homeowners and obtain restitution for affected consumers. The lawsuits also seek to impose on the defendants an array of civil penalties for the allegations laid out in each of the complaints.

Source: Illinois Attorney General Consumer Fraud Bureau