As a contractor, can I be sued by a customer to pay for another contractor to correct a problem if I was not paid by the customer in the first place?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
As a contractor, can I be sued by a customer to pay for another contractor to correct a problem if I was not paid by the customer in the first place?
Asked on September 7, 2012 under Business Law, North Carolina
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
If you caused damage or did negligent work, or did not do the work which you were hired/commissioned to do, then the customer can potentially sue you for the cost to correct the problem. On the other hand, if you were not paid for any (proper) work which you did, you could sue (or countersue, if sued by the customer) for that money, since you must be paid for any commercially acceptable work you did at the customer's request. You and the customer could end up with claims against each other, which--if both are proven--end up being netted out against each other to find the total amount owed by one of you to the other.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.