For Immediate Release
Media Contact: Bob Cooper
(208) 334-4112
Date: October 24, 2008
Wasden: Court Awards Default Judgment Against JT Enterprises
(Boise) – JT Enterprises and its owners, Bert and Tiera Nash, can no longer do business in Idaho, Attorney General Lawrence Wasden said. Third District Judge Gordon Petrie granted the Attorney General’s request for a default judgment against JT Enterprises and its owners for failing to answer the Attorney General’s complaint filed in September. The judgment permanently revokes the Nashes’ registration with the Idaho State Contractors Board and orders the Nashes to pay the Attorney General $333,866 in consumer restitution, civil penalties and attorney fees and costs.
“The consumers who placed their trust in this contractor suffered significant financial losses,” Attorney General Wasden said. “We will make every effort to collect on the judgment and pay the restitution to the consumers who had filed complaints. However, it is unclear if the contractor has the assets to satisfy the judgment, and I do not want to raise false hopes.”
The Attorney General filed a lawsuit against JNTN, LLC, and the Nashes in August for numerous violations of Idaho’s consumer protection laws and rules. In the complaint, the Attorney General alleged that the Nashes accepted money from consumers but failed to provide the purchased services or provided only part of the services. In some cases, the Nashes provided substandard construction, thereby forcing consumers to incur additional costs in order to repair the inferior work. Other consumers ended up with liens filed against their homes because the Nashes failed to pay their subcontractors.
The Attorney General’s Office recommends that consumers research a contractor’s reputation and take advantage of the many rights that Idaho law provides before hiring a contractor. The Residential Construction Manual, published by the Attorney General’s Office, provides basic information related to residential construction and how consumers can protect themselves from fraud. Idahoans can read or print the Residential Construction Manual at Wasden’s website, pick up a copy from the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division at 954 W. Jefferson in Boise or request a copy by mail or by calling (208) 334–2424 or, outside the Boise calling area, toll–free (800) 432–3545.
Consumers who are considering building or remodeling a home should:
- Check the Contractors Board’s website (www.ibol.idaho.gov) to verify the contractor’s registration status and to review disciplinary actions;
- Check with the Attorney General’s Office for complaints;
- Check the Better Business Bureau’s website (www.bbb.org)for complaints;
- Ask to see the contractor’s registration;
- Obtain the disclosures required under Idaho Code § 45-525;
- Obtain lien waivers from the contractor;
- Obtain proof of liability insurance from the contractor;
- Obtain a list of the contractor’s subcontractors;
- Obtain a surety bond in the amount of the construction project and
- Obtain an extended policy of title insurance to cover unfiled or unrecorded liens.
The Consumer Protection Division will notify Idahoans who are eligible for restitution and provide information on filing a claim.
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