Legal Question in Business Law in New York

no signed contract---work not done properly

I am a construction business in ny state. We hired a subcontractor and the work was done properly, we kicked him off the job. there is no signed contact with him are we liable for any amounts that he is requesting. he is now trying to take us to court for those amounts


Asked on 7/20/06, 10:17 am

4 Answers from Attorneys

Stephen Loeb Law Office of Stephen R. Loeb

Re: no signed contract---work not done properly

If he did the work, you owe him the money. You were aware that when he did the work he was not volunteering his services. The only defense is if he did not do the work in a workmanlike manner or if he overcharged, but overcharging is not a complete defense.

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Answered on 7/20/06, 10:41 am
Nancy Delain Delain Law Office, PLLC

Re: no signed contract---work not done properly

It's not clear to me whether the work was done properly or not; your title says not, your text says it was.

If he performed the work properly, and no other factors are present, he performed his part of a contract, regardless of whether there is a signed writing and you may well owe him compensation for his performance.

If the work was NOT done properly, again you may end up owing him something based on what he did perform, but it may be a different amount from the case where he did the work properly.

You need to hire an attorney to get this straightened out for you; look for someone who does construction law (I don't).

THE INFORMATION PRESENTED HERE IS GENERAL IN NATURE AND IS NOT INTENDED, NOR SHOULD IT BE CONSTRUED, AS LEGAL ADVICE. FOR SPECIFIC ADVICE ABOUT YOUR PARTICULAR SITUATION, CONSULT YOUR ATTORNEY.

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Answered on 7/20/06, 10:41 am
Meyer Silber The Silber Law Firm, LLC

Re: no signed contract---work not done properly

Did you kick them off for a reason? If you asked for their services, and those services were performed without any objection from you, you are obligated to pay. Did the owner pay you and you were to pay the sub?

You should be careful that the sub does not file a Mechanics' Lien or you will have a very unhappy owner.

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Answered on 7/20/06, 10:55 am
Steven Czik CZIK LAW PLLC

Re: no signed contract---work not done properly

He would have the burden of proof in court to prove the contract and that you owe him the money. It would seem that you would have a number of defenses available to you that could very well undermine his case.This area of law is our specialty, however, we would need some more information before making a complete and proper determination. You are welcome to contact us for a free consultation.

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Answered on 7/20/06, 1:11 pm


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