Latest news with #CoonerConstruction
CBS News
29-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Another Colorado homeowner shares similar experience with contractor fraud following CBS Colorado reporting
Another Colorado homeowner is sharing her story about her experience with a home renovation after seeing a contractor investigation from CBS News Colorado's Gabriela Vidal. In that case, that same contractor has been accused of scamming another couple. Leesa Tori's Denver home has come a long way since she first embarked on a massive renovation project. CBS Colorado's Gabriela Vidal speaks with homeowner Leesa Tori. CBS "It was the entire house, so about 2,500 square feet," said Tori. The process of demoing and remodeling her home, however, became more of a nightmare than she could have ever expected. The renovations started in June 2023 after she and her architect vetted multiple contractors. She ultimately went with Joel Cooner's Company, Cooner Construction LLC to handle the $350,000 renovation. "Things seemed like they were moving along okay, but then things were seeming odd, like they brought a ton of lumber and it sat out in the weather for months," said Tori. "Then, nobody came, except for Joel every once in a while, over a weekend working by himself, and I started getting nervous." Tori rented a trailer from a friend, anticipating only to be living in it for about 4-6 months while renovations inside her home were completed. Instead, however, she ended up spending about 19 months inside the trailer with uncertainty about when this project would finally be done. At this point, Tori had already spent close to $300,000 on the project. "Things that were completed, a lot had to be redone," she said. "One day I started trying to figure out how much would it cost if Cooner abandoned me. It is only after she hired a new construction company that the project finally moved forward. However, it came at the expense of everything Tori had saved up. "It cost me three times as much to finish the property, and all I could do was cash out on my retirement. I just didn't have any options," she said. Leesa Tori claims a contractor failed to complete a renovation on her home, costing her hundreds of thousands more. Leesa Tori On top of spending more to finish her house, subcontractors tasked to fulfill some of the construction started popping up claiming Cooner never paid them for work done on the house. "The framer put a lien on the property, tried to come here to collect it," said Tori. "Then, when I had to refinance the house to get whatever I could out of it, to pay to finish it, they're like, 'Oh, you have a $5,000 lien from the framer,' and I already paid that." Tori ultimately filed a complaint against Cooner, but only reached a settlement that would have been enough to pay one of the subcontractors who never received the payment they were supposed to have. "It's absolutely devastating. I'm 59, thought I'd be retiring in a few years, I have no retirement, no nothing," she said. A sinking feeling that all came back to the surface when Tori learned through CBS Colorado's reporting there were others who suffered a similar situation as she did with the same construction company. "I sobbed pretty hard when I first read it," said Tori. "It's not just me, he's defrauding other people, I just felt not so alone." Cooner and his attorney still have not responded to multiple requests for comment over the last week about the cases in which his company allegedly took customers' payment and did not finish their construction projects. "Nothing that's going to bring back the hundreds of thousands of dollars that I've lost, I don't have a plan for that," said Tori. While her home is much more complete today, there are still aspects of the home that have yet to be completed, such as additional framing, adding shower doors, and filling in holes on her ceiling. However, finding the means to afford those things will be a challenge. Piles of lumber outside of Leesa Tori's home. Leesa Tori She says she may even be forced to sell the property to ultimately pay off the debt she now has. "It breaks my heart to think about that. I'm trying to really figure out another way," she said. "I just had visions of all five grandsons playing in the yard, my kids and their spouses together." However, Tori hopes that by sharing her experience, other victims of contractor fraud can come forward as well and motivate policy changes that protect consumers. "I kind of wish there was a bigger light being shown on it, because it's really truly devastating," she said.
CBS News
24-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Colorado family says contractor failed to finish construction project, filed for bankruptcy
One Colorado family's hopes turned into a nightmare after they said a construction company disappeared mid-project, then filed for bankruptcy. It's been more than a year since Northglenn residents Christina and Scott Latimer embarked on a construction project they hoped would bring their family together. "My mom is getting older. She just turned 80, and we were a little worried about her in her home, just going up the stairs, and just wanted her closer," said Christina. However, the project has since become more of a nightmare than a solution. "It's frustrating, it's extremely frustrating," Christina said. CBS The Latimers contracted a company to help build an accessory dwelling unit for Christina's mother, Peggy Eversole, to live next to them. The money was pooled together from some of what Peggy made from selling her home. "It's a 750 square foot unit for my mom and an attached 2 car garage," said Christina. "We thought we did everything correctly. We went on Angie's List. We looked at all of the reviews," said Scott. The project cost more than $320,000, which Christina and Scott were ready to pay through installments they negotiated with the contractor, Cooner Construction LLC. The construction company broke ground in April 2024. "We paid the progress through the whole thing, on time, whenever he sent us the bill, so we would pay him," said Christina. After months of seeing progress, Peggy's new ADU came to a halt. "August 13 of 2024 was when the last person was out here doing anything," said Christina. The Latimers had spent around $300,000 up until this point, with roughly $25,000 still scheduled to be paid. CBS "We have a heating and air conditioning unit set up behind you, so those are not up yet. We still have to paint, we obviously need cabinets and shelving and vanity and shower door and doors," said Christina. "They need to put the lighting in and fully connect the plumbing and hook up the electrical because there is no electric and running water here." The Latimers believe roughly forty percent of the project is still left to be completed, including a patio extending from their home to the ADU. When they realized the project might never be finished, they installed temporary pavers and drainage to protect their homes, themselves and their dogs from potential flooding. "There's a lot of tears that come from me," said Christina. "It's really hard to go through this. It's not something I wish on anybody." The last time the Latimers heard from the owner of Cooner Construction LLC, Joel Cooner was in September. "He had indicated [in] construction sometimes runs into some issues, and just to be patient with us," said Christina. "It was the following week that we were served with our first lien." CBS Multiple subcontractors and suppliers who worked on the house started demanding payment from Christina and Scott when workers did not receive any payments from Cooner. However, Christina and Scott had paid for each part of the project up until that point and believed that money had gone to everyone involved. "It seems to me like almost all the contractors that worked on the place did not get paid," said Scott. Facing lawsuits from the subcontractors amid an unfinished project, the Latimers issued their own lawsuit this past January against the construction company and Cooner. However, in February, they learned Cooner filed for bankruptcy. "One remedy that homeowners do have in this situation is, if a contractor takes their deposit, if the contractor doesn't hold it in trust for their project, that's defined by statute to be an act of civil theft," said Attorney Jesse Witt. CBS Witt has been helping the Latimers hold Cooner and his company liable for all of the money that's been taken from them and the subcontractors. This month, he filed an adversary complaint with the hopes of taking Cooner to bankruptcy court. "It's not right what he's done," said Christina. It is a wrong this family worries might just take too long for Peggy to see corrected, even if the Latimers win their case. "I will say that I'm not sure I'll even be alive to be in here if we don't do it soon," said Peggy. The Latimers are now turning to crowdfunding to recuperate some of the money they poured into this project, while warning others who take on any construction project, "[They] should be including proof of payment, so you know he's paid his subcontractors and suppliers. Keep it in writing, keep track of everything, try not to let it get too far out of hand." "Be in more control of your money," advised Peggy.
